001Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I'm calling the Ailion free school district board education meeting order at 5:35. at this current time. Um, present at the meeting is myself, the president Lisa Johnson, first vice president Carol Seahhawk, second vice president, Caroline Fanning, and Money Connect. Trustee Chris Ning will be joining us um via phone for executive session and he'll be joining us at the open sessions there. Also present at this time is our superintendent, Dr. Gina Talbert, our assistant superintendent for curric, our assistant superintendent of human resources, Dr. Richard White, and our assistant superintendent of finance and operations, Miss Olivia Batson. Also present is our legal counsel, Nor. At this point in time at 5:36, can I have a motion to enter into executive session for the purpose of advice from the council also for discussion
002with Honeywell and also for advice from council regard a particular person's employment history is first less credit second. All those in favor? I I I motion carries 6. The meeting will resume open at approximately 7:30. Thank you for joining us for our discussion session. Meeting Wednesday, April 9th, 2025. Um resumeuming open at 7:43. Please note the emergency exit close to where you are seating. And please silence all cell phones. And please join the board of education in the pledge of allegiance. At this time, I'm going to turn the meeting over to um Dr. Talbert, but I just want to bring out to the audience and to anyone who may be listening, the agenda that is posted online as well as that's in the back does not have one agenda item on there, which is 2C7,
003which is a transportation referendum. But in the backup that's here in the community and I believe also online, there is a backup about the transportation referendum. So just please note on your agenda under 2C, there should be 2C7 that says transportation referendum. Thank you. Go ahead, Dr. Telman. Good evening to our board of education colleagues, community, and everyone who has joined us this evening. Thank you all for being here tonight. As we continue through the 2425 budget development process, I want to begin by acknowledging that the state legislative budget, which was due April 1st, still has not been finalized. Despite this delay, we have continued to move forward with focus and care to prepare a responsible and responsive district budget. Um, AP, I would just like you to know the first presentation will be the
004budget presentation. Tonight's budget, proposed budget, reflects a 3.5% increase over last year's budget. When we began this process back in February, our initial draft showed a 6.12% increase. Since that time, through thoughtful analysis, collaboration, and some truly difficult decisionmaking, we have worked to reduce the figure significantly. To date, we have made over $3 million in cuts and we are now presenting a balanced budget of 121,821,000. Of course, one of the largest cost drivers in this year's budget is transportation. Like many districts across the state, we are navigating increased contractual cost and new mandates that impact our transportation services. This has not been an easy journey. Every adjustment required reflection and every line has been examined with intention. I want to just take a moment to thank Miss Buati and our cabinet members for their hard
005work and long hours and to our board of education, our CBAC, our community stakeholders, faculty, staff, and everyone who has been a part of this process. Your questions, your feedback and perspective has helped to shape this budget into what it is today. We are targeting budget adoption by the end of this month and our public budget hearing is scheduled for May 7th. We look forward to sharing more with our community and answering any questions at that time. Again, I want to extend my deep appreciation to all who contributed to this work. Your time, energy, and care have made the difference. And now I'm going to turn this portion of our meeting over to Miss Batsi who will lead us through the budget presentation for this evening. Thank you Dr. Talbbert. As shown on the screen,
006it is a balancing act. Putting the numbers together sometimes is the easiest part. This is the part that is most challenging. What do we take out? What don't we take out? And as you can see, and as Dr. Talbert said, it was a very thoughtful process. It's not easy. Every number that we dealt with was looked at several times. And that doesn't mean that we don't entertain feedback. We do. So as we go through this process, please take your notes and share your thoughts with us. It's not easy. We all want everything, but sometimes it's almost impossible to get there. So at the last session we were looking at closing the budget gap and right now we are dealing with two scenarios. Scenario one is to close the budget gap if we are able to
007secure the $2 million for from our local elected officials. If we get that, then all we have to deal with is the $1.34 million in scenario one as reflected on the screen. But if we don't, we have to delve deeper and that's the challenge. So how do we plan to deal with scenario one? We want to deal with it with a combination of revenues and expenditures. And what we mean by that is we anticipate additional revenue. And let me go back to that. When it comes to state aid, state aid figures are revised on an ongoing basis. You submit the data, the state looks at it. There are so many things, little things that you have to give to the state, but all generate revenues. And we know from our history that there are certain
008areas that we can increase our revenues from state aid. Also when we look at our miscellaneous revenues what we mean by miscellaneous revenue and I'll move to the next screen is interest income Medicaid student who receive Medicaid services are giving the state allows us to claim refunds for them for some of the services that we provide OTP speech and all kinds of services that our kids are entitled to. Then we also get what is called refund of Bose's expenses. At the end of every year, Boseis looks at all the items that school districts subscribe to give us a refund. This year we were very lucky. We got a very sizable refund. So we are anticipating that the spread the increase in Bosey's refund will also be higher next year. It's very difficult to estimate revenues.
009It's always a good thing to be as conservative as possible but these are areas that we think we will do well next year. Then when it comes to the expense side, what are we talking about? We are talking about cutting $74,000. This is the amount we plan to pay for security consulting services. This will be taken over in district. Uh the he will be coming two days. He's been working with us two days every week and we plan to eliminate that. The $25,000 that we are you look at you are looking at here is the estimated cost to continue to route district vehicles. We currently contract it out. We want to bring it inhouse and this is an area that Mr. dispense our transportation coordinator. This is suggest suggestion for him and kudos to him.
010He's been working so hard and I really appreciate all the work that he's been doing and he think we can begin by doing indistrict routing that is students our own student who go to our schools in district and then subsequent year years we'll extend it to out of district placement in including private and parochial schools. We are planning to look at our special education and students that we transport on vans. We think that we can we can realize significant savings in that area as well. That will be $100,000. We are planning to eliminate one instructional coach for $120,000. eliminate a6 Spanish position. These are all new positions, so it doesn't mean that we'll be cutting anyone in district yet. And then reduce workers compensation cost. This is an area that the business office has been
011working on diligently. What we are self-insured for workers compensation. So all the bills are paid by the district and if there's an excess we ensure for excess which is cost beyond what we can afford. So we think that next year we can reduce our cost by about $100,000. And indeed from 2022 23 to 2324 we reduce our cost by about $150,000. And why? Because we have push back. We have what is called a third party administrator who looks at all our workers compensation claims and if we think that this is a claim that we can look at with a second eye we tell them to do to do it and through that effort we have been able to realize some significant savings and we plan that that will continue. Um we want to eliminate one
012FTE math position. This will be through attrition. So those positions will be filled with uh from employees who will be retiring. So it's it's not you know laying off anyone at this point. Then we have a software program that we talked to the curriculum off they said they would not need it. That's about $31,000. And the related employee benefit is about $50,000. That will bring us to $1.3 million if you add the revenues and the expenses. And that will bring the first half of what we need to balance the budget. So this slide is showing the additional revenues that we will get. And if you can if you work this out very carefully, you would see that the tax levy that we have been talking about remains the same at 1.82% increase. Um yes we
013haven't received our state numbers yet. If we receive that and it is positive some of these numbers will also change. I talked about miscellaneous revenue. We think we can up it by $545,000. And the $1.169 million is the transfer from um for from the library as well as the capital project. The $2 million which is fund balance is what we think will end this year with and I've already given the board a projection on that. Then the $2 million at the bottom here is the $2 million that we anticipate we will receive from our local elected officials. So where are we? If we bring in the $1.3 million, the budget will balance. This assumes that we will receive the $2 million from our elected officials. And as you can see, the budgetto budget increase at
014that point will be 350%. So where were we? Dr. Talbert spoke about this already, so I'm not going to spend too much time on it. We started with a 6.12% budget-to-budget increase on February 12. We went down to 4.11% increase and now we are at 350% budgettobudget increase. And this is the challenging part. What cuts will be required if we don't receive or if we don't secure the $2 million in additional revenues from our elected officials. We are looking at cutting back one social worker with benefit and that would be $120,000. One clerical position with benefit $100,000. Leave all private and parochial school transportation within the 15 mile limit and that would save the district $400,000. cut one elementary incoming third grade and that would not affect because the number of student from the current
015second grade to the next third grade Mary am I right is going down by from 176 students to from 110 to 176 students um over time we're looking at over time. We're planning to cut back on overtime, instructional supplies. We want to look at those areas where there will be the least impact on our staff and the least impact on our students. um Long Island High School for the Arts. We budgeted two two POS places for students. We want to cut it back to one. Then we that we have also planning to cut back on one new position school psychologist and the balance of it will be a cut of eight FTEES current staff. So please please please if we need whoever is listening to us we desperately need this $2 million. If we receive
016that money, all this will go away. I've been watching the news. I've been watching my phone pretty much every hour to find out whether the state legislature has passed the New York State budget. As of 5:00 this evening, they voted on an extender and they voted on a 1.7 million billion dollar budget to extend. So, we don't really know when they are going to finalize the budget, but they they are also beginning to experience a lot of pressure because it's not just us. A lot of school districts are in this in similar situation and they have been waiting for their state aid estimates to come in to balance their budget. In fact, I know of other school district where they have postponed just like us, they have postponed adopting the budget because of the state
017aid issue. I hope it passes by next week so we can know exactly where we are. Thank you. I I thank you, Miss Watson. I appreciate the the presentation. Um I have a question and then I I'll go around to other people as well if they have questions on the page that has the closing the 2526 budget gap just for my clarification. So in the area where you have the blue where it has the interest, income, Medicaid, and refund of both these expenses, you did not put a number there because we're not too sure. So when you when you tallied up the 630 that does not include anything from it's included the 180. That's that was a description for the 180. I'm sorry if it's not clear. And there was one other question that I
018had. Oh, you had mentioned that there's an individual that looks at um on the same page that looks at the expenses connected to um workers compensation I believe it is. Yes. Okay. So, and we're saving right now looking at last year we saved roughly about 150 for 2425 so far. Correct. And the person who's hired for that position their salary is roughly about maybe what? No. Uh this is a firm that we it's a firm it's a firm it's a third party administrator it's a firm that looks at every worker's compensation claim and if they suspect something is happening that we should look at with a fine tooth comb they so we we pay for the firm yes and what that what does that about 16,000 less than 20,000 just want to clarify and that
019is it for me so I'll I'll start from this end I'll go around Caroline do you have any questions Thank you, Miss Boatsi. I had been asking for a while for the list of the personnel cuts, not because I want to scare people, but because we needed to know. Um, and it's jarring, heartbreaking because we lost so many last year and we have to get ready for what might happen. Um it's on the last page all the cuts that you showed. What because we've had so many presentations and there's been a lot of shuffling. Are there other cuts from previous presentations that we ought to add to that to get a more comprehensive? Yes, I gave I gave the board I think that was in March a listing of cuts. Um I'll send it home
020again this Friday. kind of need it all consolidated to see. Yes. Uh because I can recall a bunch off the top of my head, but I I can't remember if they made it, if they in out. Um it had been said that we were going to get two social justice um counselors. Do we still have those new positions? Is that one of the getting cut? Yes. Okay. So, that's not getting cut. Uh that those are not being added. Um, I want to say, well, maybe I'll continue going down. You mentioned doing better at getting uh the Boseies refunds. Um, if if if we were doing better this year, why didn't you I guess I worry that you're over were overproing how much more income we can get for that because if you thought it was
021a reasonable projection, why wasn't it included earlier in one of the earlier budgets? Oh, no. We got it around late February, late March. So I I you know, so in the first budget presentation, you weren't sure. And I wasn't sure. I wasn't sure. I understand. Um the workers comp. So it seems like we have auditors checking it. Um, and you've already saved a lot, but isn't it going to get to the point where how much how much lower can the workers cap realistically go? Is, you know, a big problem here or are we really going to start squeezing people to the point where legitimate claims are getting rejected because we're looking in a place where we've already we are self-insured. Legitimate claims cannot be rejected. Mhm. But you still have to review every one of
022them to make sure that there is everyone is playing their part very well. Um it includes putting resources to monitor each of those claims that we have on the box and we do that as well. Okay. I don't think I recall a number. Did you put a number value on that? How much more you think you can shave based on I what was it 100,000 yeah it it seemed high after we paid we paid in the um in the 2022 23 school year we paid a total of 687,000 last year we paid 500 and something so I saw the trend going down okay drop it by half I guess that's if that was money that was left on the table all these years, I'm very happy to get it back. Um it just seems alarming
023if there was that much money on the table all along. Um the full-time math teacher that we are going to lose through attrition. Nice to know it's not someone's job, but now that's math class sizes going up somewhere in some building perhaps. Is this a math teacher we still need? Um, I think I'll I'll defer that to the assistant superintendent for curriculum. Are you speaking about the interventionist? Is that the one? No, I thought it was a full-time teacher. Oh, okay. Okay. All right. Sorry. That was a position that we added in looking at where we could use more support. So, um, it is something of course that we could benefit from. Sorry. It is something of course we could benefit from, but if we're faced with cuts, there's not someone currently in that position.
024Okay. Um, so those are my questions. Just like a general observation, when you go back to the revenues and I see $2 million of fund balance included in the budget. When I first saw that two months ago, I found that alarming. I didn't understand then, but I understand now that the the fund balance that is our, you know, for the audience, you you know, our rainy day fund, it's there for emergencies. Districts, however, can and often do include some of that in their budget to um after the budget is balanced to provide padding for an emergency. So, you have the rainy day funds available so that if there is an emergency and you need to replace a roof, do whatever, um you can do it without running up a deficit because we're not allowed to
025do that. So, that's fine. That's fair. If there's no emergency and there's a surplus at the end of the year, it can go back into the fund balance or be used to pad next year's budget. The problem with this budget is that we're using $2 million of fund balance and there's still a 1.3 or a $4.3 million deficit. So, in that case, the fund balance isn't being used as padding for a rainy day. It's being used to cover barebones essentials. And we still haven't like gotten it to a balanced budget yet. So, we won't have a surplus at the end of next year. And then in order to provide rainy day padding into the budget next year, we're going to have to go deeper into the fund balance and deplete our reserves. It's not sustainable
026because at some point our reserves are going to run out and then we're going to be back on the absolute bottom of the fiscal stress list for all of New York State's school districts. So when I see this budget and I see that our deficit is either 1.3 million or 4.3 million if the 2 million doesn't come through from the state, what I'm really seeing is a $6.3 million deficit in terms of our long-term sustainability. So that keeps me up at night. Um, we should have been preparing for this moment a year ago when we got our first $2 million bailout from the state. We knew it was a one-time bailout or we thought it was a one-time bailout. And from that moment, we should have been, you know, looking everywhere for cost savings everywhere.
027And I commend the business office for taking um you know following on the recommendations of the forensic um audit that was done to do all these cost-saving measures to you know make sure IEPs are being followed and we are you know tracking down stack reimbursement and tracking overtime and doing all those things but clearly it's still not enough. We're still not able to cover cover all of our costs. So, it it just seems to me like we needed a bigger vision a year ago and a sense of urgency a year ago and now here we are laying off more people, still not bringing back some of the essential staff that we weren't able to bring back from last year. Um, and it it's a frightening place to be, but that that's all I got. Thank
028you. Thank you so much. Um, well said. And you know, I like what you said about the stock process and all that. Um, it's it's it's a slow process and we've been trying to find every single penny that is out there. It's not easy. But like the first slide showed, it's a balancing act. We have to be consistent with our strategies. And I think if we are consistent over the long haul, we'll be able to overcome this challenge. Just I just before I go to to Carol, just um just a couple things. The forensic audit that was done that you referred to in terms of um um sort of tightening the budget, the tightening of the budget actually occurred before the forensic audit. So there were things that were already had been put in place
029and then the forensic audit was done just to make sure there was no misuse or abuse of funds or anything like that. Just for that um particular clarification and there was one other thing that you said that I just kind of went out of my um my mind. It it is a very challen situation and I I hear exactly what you're saying Caroline. We are also in a situation if we did not use that $2 million then that would be even credential more cuts that would have to take place right now from the fund balance I'm talking about. So if you're saying if you wanted to maybe I misunderstood you and you please correct me if I'm wrong. Um I understood what you were saying that it just sort of keeps adding on top each
030other. No, I'm not saying we're not going to use it but I understood your point. We can only tighten so much and if we can tighten more, we can tighten more. But maybe we need to think bigger. Um we need bigger like a a restructuring of the entire district to figure out you know how how can we make it sustainable because at this rate it does not seem sustainable to me. Right. And I think the other thing too is is this is I'm not making excuses whatsoever. I think the other thing that we have to deal with is the fact that transportation we knew it was going up but we didn't know how much it was going to go up once. It's not excuses at all but it's just a couple of things that we
031didn't think were going to be a big issue have have forced us a little bit more. So I'll be Carol, do you have anything? I actually have a um question from Mary Stevens. Uh what will the just a little bit more to your mic? What will the impact of cutting the six Spanish teacher? So when we were preparing the budget, we budgeted for a full-time Spanish teacher. We currently have a part-time and the course selections don't warrant the extra time. So there's no impact on either the program or on staffing. and the software program. I know at one point that was used. It was used. Um, so what we did talk about is if we do an assessment and we determine that we do need it next year, it would fit into the title 4
032grant. So we would be able to fund it through that. Thank you, Megan. Okay. Thank you. Um, Caroline, I I agree with a lot that you said. I'm not going to reiterate it. I'm happy that we see uh this draft of what it might take if we don't get the $2 million because this is the very first time that the board of education is seeing that. So, I I do appreciate that. Um but I am I'm not um in agreement with it. um you know it it does carry the $400,000 uh for the transportation beyond the 15 miles and we know we have community members asking that that be considered. Uh so unfortunately that was a mistake that was made several years ago to provide transportation beyond 15 miles. So that's a a large sum
033of money in the $2 million. Um the the decrease in students in third grade. Did you say we were it was a decrease of around 60 students from second grade? 170 110 the incoming the current Go ahead. Yes approximately that but it's 210 currently and we're moving about 176 from second into third. So 40 or 50 Okay. So, I I spoke about this a few meetings back of just looking at the trends. We're losing that many kids moving from Northwest to Park Avenue. Would it have made more sense to try to keep third grade at Northwest? Do we know why those parents are pulling their kids leaving north from sec second grade to third grade? Um because then the historical trends when you move from fifth grade to sixth grade is on the order of
034500 students leaving the district. Yes. And then they come they come back sometimes for high school. But so if you have $9,000 in foundation aid for 50 kids, that's some 400. I calculated $500,000. I was doing 60 kids, but that's a significant figure here when we're looking at cutting now on just this page alone. You know, 13 people and we were already given a list of cuts preliminarily in in in March that as Caroline said is not summarized here. Uh that, you know, is is detrimental to continuing to maintain those elementary school students in the district. There's TAs in first and second grade. So why are those second grade parents so so unhappy with what's happening in second grade that they're leaving? So can I just offer a point of clarification? It's not necessarily people
035pulling students out. That is the class size for that grade level. It's not a reduction. There's a decline. It it's a decline from so third grade this year had 210 10 and then it's going to 176 um it because okay because I was going if there's a we know that there's such a significant decline was the foundation aid updated but are you saying that we don't know what the decline is in enrollment for next year? What's the foundation aid based on the current enrollment or next year's projected enrollment? It's it's based on this year's enrollment and we get about $8,600 per student. Right. Yeah. Right. Right. Right. But now with the transportation forms, we could figure out what really our enrollment is for next year. Yes. Yeah. Um Um Excuse me. Excuse me. Excuse me.
036You can't you can't call out. Um let's if you have a concern um hold on a second please. You cannot call out from the audience. Thank you so very much. If there's an issue or concern um maybe if there's someone that can just address or hear what she's saying. She's talking about the heat in the building. So I'm going to get the custodian to to take care of it. Thank you. Yeah, I know. Go go go ahead. Okay. Um is um we talked about a building use analysis like a financial analysis of each building. Correct. What's the status of that? Uh we had presented that report to the uh CBSC. Uh this is building capacity utilization. Uh if that I mean we have the report I'll send it to the board. Um it's something that
037was requested at the CBAC. So we prepared a special report for them. So I don't know whether you know I think I think you're talking about your email that you sent to the superintendent, right? Uh yes, but I had also spoke about it in the last public session of just of understanding just high level. Yes. The operating cost for each building. Yes. And the you know if it's operating in a deficit I mean obviously that's Northeast, right? Because Northeast has the students that have the UPK with the grants that. So what did bringing kindergarten over to New Northeast do? because the numbers that I had roughly done last time showed Northeast was still operating in a deficit. So I was I had asked because I wanted the business office to tell me if I was
038in left field or not. So what you're saying if I understand you correctly is you wanted us to compare what we get in terms of grant funding versus the overall cost to operate the building. Yes. Okay. Yes. Thank you. Um because I, you know, I know everyone has all the community has many different interests, right? Nobody, you know, absolutely. Board of education, don't touch transportation. Okay. I mean, transportation is going up $3 million potentially. You know, Board of Education, don't close this building, but you know what? Instead, we want to cut dozens of people. So I you know it's a very difficult situation and I think that the more that we actually have to digest then we can feel as though we are in a position to um approve a budget proposal from the district.
039Thank you Megan Wendy. Thank you for the presentation. I do want to say that we have always asked for presentations ahead of time. We did not get this. So if people see us scribbling, it's because we're seeing it for the first time trying to make notes. It would be better if we had it so we could be fully prepared to have our questions rather than just doing it off the cuff. Having said that, um I have a couple of questions. Um okay, hold on. So, as far as transportation, there's a bit of another issue with transportation. So, I know a lot of people have been following this. Um, there was a question about what was on the referendum. We found a referendum from 1968 that was proposed to that that was shown to the public
040and the board on February 26th and um it had the mileage in it. Then um you know it I thought it was very good that the superintendent sent out a letter to present what the facts are. So because there was a lot of rumors on both sides, right? People were like fueling the fire. The issue now is they found another referendum from 1995. And so I guess I would have to ask um the transportation director of what what's going on because the referendum now that's in place for 1995 has K through three a half a mile 4 foot through 6 a mile 7 through 12 a mile and a half. Here's where I'm wondering if we're going to incur a cost. Now, the letter said we provide prek through two a half a mile, but
041according to the referendum, third grade should also be getting a half a mile. So, now we're going to have to incur the cost of shortening that route. I don't know what that will look like. The other thing is right now 6 through 12 is a mile and a half, but the referendum the referendum for sixth grade is a mile. So we'd have to cut going, you know, less mileage. So I feel like that's going to add money into this budget now because we're not in compliance with our own referendum from 1995. So my question would be for the transportation director to ask the bus company, how long has this been happening? How long have these routes been cut that we weren't in in compliance? And now I would think that in conjunction with the transportation
042director, we have to figure out how much now is going to be added in with those half mileages. There has been a number of restructuring in this district and I think you know because it was we had all this restructuring. We didn't go back there transportation wasn't affected. Transportation didn't become an issue until we had this issue this year. So, I think this is something that we can address through policy. Um, hold on. Referendum. Wait a second. You can't address it through policy. The only way to ch change mileage is through voter referendum. Correct. So, we already have a certified voter referendum that states that these are the figures. So, we have to comply with it. We're not going to put in a policy and say PS, we're not going to comply with it. We
043have to follow what the voters asked for. I'm sorry if you misunderstood me, but what I was trying to allude to is that we got to look at this because we are going all the way back to 1994. We don't know whether there were similar changes after 1994. We keep on looking for those records and this was the last one that we were able to discover yesterday. Okay. So, the concern with this is we're towards gearing towards the end of the budget season. Transportation has been a big deal. To Caroline's point, it's 5-year contract we're going out for. We knew this was happening. We didn't start doing this till November. Now, we don't even know if this is the most current referendum. This is like really concerning, right? This all came up kind of by
044accident, but now we have to comply with the law. So, we have to find out what the referendum is. I know you went to 1995. I mean, what are we doing? Are we looking every day through like why is this taking so long to find out? So, records are not digitized. They are in paper in binders and we've been spending numerous hours researching and looking. We have also continued through uh 2013 and this is the latest referendum that we have. So it is incumbent upon us which steps have started to be taken to align our transportation to what proposition number three reads and was voted on by the public. Okay. Okay. So, you're just waiting to go through 2013 till current to see if there's any more recent referendums. Well, in terms of 2013, we
045are perusing those, but we've made it thus far through 2013. Okay. So, hopefully we could find that soon. Okay. Yes. It's a long and laborious process and we're looking through it. Um, but that's where we are. I guess I just wanted to raise the issue that we might have to, you know, decrease the mileage which could potentially impact the budget, right? If we have to add that. Okay. So, let me just move on so um other people could speak. Um I know that I had asked for a bare bones budget of just contractual um items so that the board of education can see of what that number looks like, what the contractual number is, and then work from there. But we didn't get that. I think I asked for that a few weeks ago. Um,
046as far as these lists, I have to echo my fellow board members. I am absolutely not in agreement with cutting anything that has to do with instruction for our children. Our scores are very low. Our children have missed out. Um, nothing that touches instruction should be cut. Um, I'm absolutely opposed to that. Um, I'm looking at this list. Um, our kids aren't performing well in in in math. We thought an interventionist would help. I mean, let's get the interventionist. Let's like do things for kids, right? Um, we have seven network engineers. We I would Megan had brought this up last time. Great point. Let's cut there. Um, you know, um, for many years, we didn't have an assistant superintendent of HR. Uh, I don't think we need that. That could be a reduction. um the
047first and second grade teachers assistance. I'm absolutely opposed to cutting that. Um those kids need help. The teachers need help here. Um uh let me just see the other questions I have. One second. Sorry. Um and then I know previously I had raised this issue that there was a savings. So I'm very concerned about special ed also that I want to make sure that we're not cutting back on special ed just to save money, right? because those are our most vulner vulnerable students. And I keep going back to that there's three students that equal out to about $500,000 that would come back in district. But if you're talking about three kids at that cost that were out of district, that means like they're really high needs, right? So we don't know what kind of therapies
048they'll need, OT, physical therapy, visual therapy, what it is. So that that those students are going to come with high costs also, whether it's here or whether it's there. So, can we actually meet the students needs here if there's such high need students? That's my concern with them because I just keep being drawn back to that because I do want to make sure students first and everything and it's not just about, you know, a number on here. Um, I wanted to raise that. Um, and um, hold on, let me just see quickly. Uh, so you said the refund for the Boseies was 180,000 because I think I had the same question as Lisa. Is that what it was? Okay. Okay. And by the way, the last six years the state budget has been late. So
049I'm not shocked that it's late. Um what I was saying is a combination of other miscellaneous revenues. Just this is not just a refund of Bose's expenses. I'm looking I look at Medicaid you know I've been working on Medicaid for some time now since the beginning of the year. Uh Medicaid refund of Bose's expenses. I'm looking at in interest income. Sometimes it's just about $20,000. So you don't want to overestimate the revenue side. So Okay. And we and we budgeted enough for charter schools because the trend has been going upward. Yes. So we we we budgeted enough for that. Yes. Uh recall we we had to increase it by another $200,000 from the March 12th meeting. The board Yes. Yes. Okay. So, so lastly, I just I just want to wrap this up and say
050this. You know, we we had a one-time $2 million infusion, which was great. Last year, the board administration put Northeast on the table as that may close. Um, now to Megan's point, you know, she has a good point, right? Like everybody wants to keep everything as do we, right? But you have the contingency that's concerned about transparency, the contingencies that's, you know, concerned about Northeast. These are really difficult decisions. And to Caroline's point, you might have to look at bigger ticket items, especially if we don't get a $2 million. We're looking at a huge gap that we have to fill. The little pieces isn't going to add to $4 million. You're going to have to do something because year after year after year, we're going to be in the same exact position. So, um I
051would like everybody to keep that in mind. Um with that and again, I just cannot emphasize enough. I do not want to cut anything with instruction that that goes to the kids. Thank you, Chris. Thank you. Uh two questions. So, the 2 million that we're requesting, is it possible that we don't get that, but we could get a lower amount or is it all or nothing? Our ask has been 2 million. There hasn't been any conversation about less, but that's a possibility. I'm sure we'll take whatever they will give us. And um as far as reducing workers comp, that sounds like the third party, their purpose is to just reduce the abuse of workers comp. Is that correct? Yes. So, are we doing anything to prevent legitimate workers comp? Like if it's from somebody falling
052on a cracked sidewalk or um equipment that the facilities um team is using or anything like that. Yes. And what we also do is that we work with NISA to come in and look at some of our facilities and to advise us on some of the maintenance items that we have to take a look at. So that all those you know proactive measures leads to a reduction in the workers comp. So we have and overall maintenance because usually it's someone falling on district property that's what causes this. So we've been doing our best to maintain our property so that all those falls do not occur. And most of the workers comes from the maintenance department. Is that correct? Uh it's a combination but most of them do because of the nature of their work. That
053was in a email that I asked. Okay. Leslie, do you have any questions? Just bring your mic a lot closer. I think your mic is dead. 2 million from last year. There were stipulations to use it. Are there I I don't recollect any stipulations on the 2 million this year like what it would definitely be used for. Well, the ask has been specifically for Northeast, right? Um last year the ask was for Northeast. Um, as you know, in the fine print, there was no confining language to say you have to only use it for Northeast. So, that has been our ask. Okay. Thank you. Um, two more things. I know I see there's software that was on the table. We did get a long list of software that we do use in the school district.
054Is there any chance of more software being, you know, going through things that we don't use? I mean that a a good point. Uh Mary, you want to take it? So we did take time this year to go over the usage reports and uh we do have plans. We've targeted particular software that would be useful in classrooms to do professional development and make sure that teachers know what's available. This particular one is one of the biggest ticket items and that's why we put that on the list. Thank you. Thank you. Uh one more thing. I know uh we received recently the last two months of the minutes of the citizens budget advisory committee. Have they made contributions or suggestions or recommendations about our budget this year? We've been working we've been working through it and
055in fact yesterday we met um and there have been some significant you know they made a lot of suggestions and some of them I took it and put it into this presentation as a matter of fact. Okay. Thank you. Any other last questions? I I just um two quick things. You know we we had added a bunch of new stipen positions this year. I think that those have to be reviewed. Um, and another example is we have mentors for first, second, third year. The state only mandates first year mentors. I mean, if we're looking to trim, we should be trimming the second and third year mentors as well. Um, and my last question is it says cut eight full-time positions. Are those teachers? Those are have not been specified as teachers. The dollar amount has
056been specified as eight general FTE. So that's to be determined through further analysis. So you don't know if you're if there's going to be addition when when will you know if more teachers will be cut? When we hear that we don't have the 2 million. We are in the process now of identifying who, what, how, and when. We don't need to lose any more staff. We don't want to lose any more staff. Um, but without the two million, the reality is we do have to cut. Even if Northeast was to close, that's the cutting of staff. That's the letting go of staff that all of those staff will not transition over to Northwest. So, there are going to be cuts regardless if the school closes and moves to Northwest or if the school remains open.
057Without the $2 million, there will be additional cuts. To get to that kind of money, you have to look at personnel and salaries. I understand the stipens. The professional development plan committee has been meeting. The board will receive a presentation in late May um early June on the professional development plan and they've taken into consideration the recommendations around mentoring. But those small snippets of money is trimming is not enough as you know to reach the big dollar. When will you know if you get when when are you supposed to know when you're getting the money? Well, we are told that it will come after the legislative budget closes and that has not closed. So, we've not been given a specific date, but there has been communication that we won't hear anything until after. Okay. And
058that and my very last thing is if if there are are people that are going to be cut, um if there's a majority that agrees with that, I would just ask for consideration that they be given enough notice. Of course. Thank you. Thank you so much for the presentation. Um at this point in time, we will take um community input regarding board agenda items only. So anything that's on the agenda, just to say one more time, the agenda that's out there in the public on for agenda item under 2C, it does not have um 2C7, the transportation referendum, but it the backup is there. All right. So I just want to make that announcement again. Hold on a second. Um, Lynn just have to switch out and go to the timer. Thank you. Don't start
059it yet. Hold on. Reset it again. After she says her name, then you can start it. Hi, Marsha. Amityville. So, I have a I have a question on page seven. So, I'm looking at line one where it says full-time employee social worker with benefits new position and then the second to last which says new position school psychologist these are not backfill positions correct these are new positions and what mind and what mindset did you think at this state of the at this rate of the game that you could actually do a hund two positions at $120,000 each out of the gate knowing you're you're in the hole to start with. Like how it's almost fictional that you're cutting something that you couldn't even afford to begin with. I just I I find this mindboggling that
060you could It's great to have a wish list, but we're in no position to have a wish list at this point for a new position that's not even a backfill. So, I find that just absolutely mind-boggling. And the second part of my commentary is the fact that yeah, we can pray and hope and wish on a star that we get this 2 million again. Okay, so suppose we get it. Everything seems partly rosy. Then we're here next year and then we're here next year. When at what point is this district going to be whole? And I it's just it's a snowball and all these people in the in the influx get affected. the par parents get affected, the children get affected, the staff gets affected, and I just don't understand at what point do you
061think far enough ahead that you can wrap this up and make this place whole. That's I just don't understand the mindset like you know car trustee Caroline said basically like your your plans aren't big enough to even get out of the hole because it'll be a constant battle each and every year. And um the other thing is I have a question a learning question to do with the state aid and I understand the budget's late and I know all that but are there I don't know what the criteria is to get state aid because I'm sure that there's probably good districts out there that are not in the hole as bad as we are and and are flush and they're they're totally flush. So what happens? Do they get I don't know what the I
062don't know what the equation is for these neighboring Long Island, New York schools. Do they get more do they get more that and they don't even need it? Whereas we really need it. How is that done? And once it is applied and decided what Amityville is going to get, do you can can you actually go back to the state and say thanks, but could we just get a little more? Like you have to get to a point where you have to get whole at at least 85% 90% there and then they make more cuts or whatever, but you got to get whole at one point and I don't see that happening anywhere. I just don't see it and I want to know what you think that you can do to get this place whole. Um
063so one thing it's calculated on is from the wealth index and the wealth index will help does determine what how much money we get as in terms of state aid. One of the biggest problems is that based on our ratio it's higher than other other districts believe it or not. And so one of the things that we could do is to actually advocate and and write letters to elected officials, write letters to New York State to advocate for more money to and they already have changed and relooked at things in regards to the wealth index ratio in regards to foundation aid. So there are some changes that are taking place, but it takes voices to advocate because you can go back to New York State and say, "I want more aid," but they're not going
064to give you more aid. We would have to advocate and advocate hard. Can you I mean as a learning thing because I'm like I said this is kind of new. How do how I don't understand basically how they arrive at you're talking about the wealth index you're saying. Can you compare a like district to see the difference like so that like when they were there I think they you she did do it one time I think. Yes. Yes. So there is one of the presentations that that we had. So I'll give you I'll get you the exact date and I'll let you know when it was and can look at apples to apples. Yes. Okay. Thank you. You're welcome. Hi. Uh my name is Eric Romanition. I have one daughter that goes to St. Dominic's
065and two children that go to St. Martin of Tourists. Uh, one of the things that was brought up was potentially looking at an overall restructuring in terms of schools, whether it's closing one or closing another building. One of the things I thought was mentioned last time was about the school district offices and I don't know if I remember that correctly, them instead of closing out the school, move the people from the offices maybe into that same school. So it wouldn't affect the kids as much. It would more affect the people going to work which makes it this way you can then not have that building anymore. Has that been thought of? Is that a possibility in there? Dr. brought that up. Yeah. She's going to answer. The board has um recommended as well as the
066CBAC a cost analysis of all of the buildings throughout the district and that process is underway. So there have been some minimal cost analysis presented to members of the citizens budget advisory committee. Our director of facilities is costing out. Just last night there was an in-depth conversation about the central administration building. So thank you for your comment. That is a process that is underway and it will take a little more time to really um get a good understanding of the usage and the equitable um availability and utilization of each building in the district compared to the cost. Uh, one of my concerns is time because obviously this affects the overall budget's going to affect my daughter and how I get her to school. Um, another concern I had is I never me heard anyone mention
067about expanding to 20 miles. I don't know where that came from. I know everybody who's come here and asked has been asking for the district to just give what was already promised to them. So I don't know where this 20 can anyone answer where this 20 mile district uh distance came from in the proposition. Dr. So, as you know, the New York State mileage limitations for a private and parochial school stops at 15 miles, but there are some schools where we've been transporting that exceed the 15 mile limit, but are under the 20 mile limit. So, the referendum that the board will be discussing tonight allows for the mileage to extend up to 20 miles. Okay. Yeah, that's just I never heard anyone asking for it to get to 20. That's that's that's the only
068reason why. um because that does open up another can of worms because now you potentially adding other schools if there's no um and then are there any other options out there for I know you talked about potentially looking at either combining buses for some of the private schools or how to handle what options are there because we're just asking work with us what can be done to make sure we can get our kids to our schools. Is there anything that's so the solution? Um, let me back up just a little bit more. As the superintendent, I do not have the delegated authority to authorize transportation beyond 15 miles. And it's it's it's not a as the crow flies, right? It is um is as the crow flies or is it driving distance? That's from the
069home to the school, right? But not in a complete radius, right? It is driving distance because if it's radius, we're within the 15 miles. If you take it by taking the roads, it's more than 15. It is driving distance. Okay. Right. John, I think John's looking. Yes, it's driving distance. The drive distance. Okay. I just want and then secondly the governing body as the board neither do they have the authority to authorize private or paroial transportation beyond 15 miles. The only authority that the board has is to have a voter referendum placed on the agenda. And that's what the board has done tonight. They have placed the voter referendum on the agenda that would incorporate the school that is furthest. That's why the 20 mile marker is there. And then they will discuss, deliberate, and
070each will take their individual votes. And it will be determined whether or not that voter referendum will be placed on the May 20th ballot allowing the residents of Amityville to vote and say yes. We would like to support or vote yes to have this transportation provided or not. Is there any other clarification that I can provide? I think he's looking for John. Yes. just asking if there's anything more. I mean, I think that you answered the question. Um, in terms of the 20 miles or Yeah, I guess the question is, is there a student from the the private school that is now being within the 20 miles that would be the anchor student or are there students beyond the 20 mile limit that would be attending that school that are currently attending that school? That's
071beyond 20 miles beyond the 15. You mean no. So if you if the voters pass 20, how many are there other students outside beyond 20? But they would be they as long as you have some a student within the 20 going to that school then that student the student transported can act as an anchor student for those other students. And I know I don't have to say, but I I I do wish it was just 15 miles from anywhere within the at least the district because then we wouldn't run into the situation where someone's going to the school that's within the 15. So you're going to pick up someone who's 17 and now you're no longer able to pick up somebody because now that person graduated. So that's it just complicates things when Right. So
072you can't you can't break it down to that level as you suggest. It's distance from the home to school through the shortest route. Okay. Thank you very much. Thank you. Ready? I don't think I need the three minutes, but All right. Just give your name again. Todd Bryce. Uh, father of two Shaman students. I sent you guys an email about a week and a half ago asking for your um council's opinion on a law that um I don't believe you guys need to do a referendum, but I was going to bring the law, but actually prior to this meeting, we had a meeting with the transportation official and he provided it for me. So, education law 3635 states further states that board of education may at its discretion provide transportation from a centralized pickup point
073for pupils residing within the district to non-public schools located more than 15 miles from the home of any pupil. Provided that transportation has been provided for the non-public school in at least one of the immediately preceding three school years, you have the authority to provide this transportation amongst yourselves not with a referendum. Have you been able to review that law? And what is the process to get back to me when I like ask a question that has, you know, kind of a instrumental? Yes, go ahead. So I I provide my my opinions to the board of education. Yeah. Uh and I have provided uh my my opinion to the board of education. Okay. And uh that is not within their discretion. That's the law. It's written. It's you have to keep reading. Okay. It's it's
074not all right. Okay. Um well, I disagree with you, so I think we'll probably take that to the next steps. Um, I've mapped, and this was a surprise to uh our transportation director, 14.9 miles to Northwest School District. So, that school uh school, not district, school, uh, fits, you know, under the 15 miles. I'd like to whoever made a comment earlier that we're providing school transportation to Sha illegally right now. There's a student that gets picked up two blocks north of that. He's definitely under 15 miles. The provided transportation was given to Shamanad in 2017 because somebody was under 15 miles. Wasn't done illegally. So, it just wasn't taken away maybe during that time period when the kid graduated in 21 or 22. But I believe from 2017 until the end of this school year,
075there is a student going to Shamanad that's under 14.9 miles. If you type in Google Shamanad to an address, it's not going to take you on the shortest route. And I think that the law states nearest route. Doesn't say Google. It states nearest route. So adjust the mapping and you'll get under 15 miles for plenty of places in Amityville. anywhere really north of Sunrise Highway by a block or so. So, if you'd, you know, I can share that with the transportation um official as he asked me to do, but I would appreciate it if you know when we provide information that it gets passed down. Thank you. Thank you. Hi, good evening everyone. Maline Quintine McConey just um a few questions. Okay. Thank you. Um just a few questions um and then I'm going to
076I guess I'll leave them and you can get back to me, you know, with um Madame President. All right. So I wanted to focus on this proposition that we're reading to increase bus mileage from 15 to 20 miles. So one of the key questions that I wanted to um highlight is do you believe um allowing this proposition to proceed is a reason a reasonable use of district funds considering the potential 400,000 cost? And how do you plan to address the district's existing deficit while taking on additional expenses? Will this proposition benefit the majority of our district students or primarily those attending private schools? As board members, what factors inform your decision to bring this proposition to a vote? Have alternative solutions been explored to balance the need of private school students with those of our
077district students? And will a detailed analysis of the proposition's course and benefits be made available to the public? So just those are a few of the questions. I I'll leave them. Should I leave with her? Yeah, just leave the district court. Thank you. And and then you can get back to you know and and answer them. But just just so few things and also we need to think about crossing guards if anything of this that magnitude happens. Um there's not even enough crossing guards in the in the police department or in the village of Amityville and kids crossing over 110 over avenue any of these these uh hightra areas. Um we need to think about that as well because that's a that's a prep problem. So, um I hope we can come to some kind
078of resolution because I think the last time I was here, the gentleman who did the transportation, I thought he did a excellent job and trying to pull this thing together and now I don't know what the heck just happened here. So, um I'm rooting for you guys to get a solution and pull this thing forward as well as Northeast School because, you know, I'm a champion for Northeast and I'm going to keep on saying it as long as I can breathe. we need to just keep our district and our students healthy and moving forward. And that's the most important thing right now. And um I'm rooting for you, but let's come with some solutions rather than always beating the drum and beating everybody's head forward. And you know, and I thank Miss Olivia. Beautiful job
079you did tonight. I thank you. You know, everybody's trying real hard. Come with some solutions, not some problems. All right. I thank you guys and let for letting me speak this evening. Thank you. Um my name is Lud Miller. My husband and I are raising three children in Namnville where we have been living for the last 10 years. We have been uh without a doubt paying very high premium taxes for our children to be safe. Uh we have been supporting the community by going out to restaurants, building up the community and investing a lot of money into our future. Out of three of our children, two are children with special needs. Our daughter is graduating uh this year from the eighth grade from St. Amnival uh St. uh St. Martin School of Tours. She's severely
080hearing impaired and we were advised by EAP IEP um also by many specialists that we have consulted with that she needs to go to high school with very very small amount number of children so she could be successful so she's not bullied and she could flourish the way she flourished in St. Martin uh school of tours. We did not have other choices based on the specialist advice by your school district as well to send our daughter somewhere else. So when we did uh the research on the high schools, we took a very very special care about it and we found St. Dominics that is a very small accommodating school where we were told by many specialists again even here that our daughter will succeed. A very funny uh fact about myself I'm 52. I never
081learned how to drive a car. I have a psychological fear of cars but I did take uh flying lessons. Um, so until the very last moment for three months, my husband thought I was very neurotic because I called the transportation department many many times to make sure that there is a bus to St. Dominics on the day the last day of the registration for my daughter not to lose the scholarships that she was receiving and for my other daughter to be transferred from Kalenburg. I called the transportation department two times. They know my accent already. And two times it was confirmed before I paid $650 of the registration fee for each of my daughters that there will be a school bus. I have no way to take my daughter anywhere else. So I'm trying to
082be very creative and imaginative with your deficit disorder here. Um, I looked up, it says, it's a readily available information online that if I send my two daughters to Amniville High School here, it cost uh to raise them there $24,000 a year each. If uh I was also told that because my daughter will be going to St. Dominic's, the IEP will be cancelled for her. But if she goes to high school here, she can get it. I'm not understanding the logic of this, you know. Uh I also found a very interesting statistic online. Give me just one second just kind of wrap up your point because your time ran out. So just I'll give you like another 30 seconds just to wrap up your final message because you only have three minutes. I would like
083to know how much money from the taxes me and my husband diligently pay goes specifically for raising my children in the public high school here and how much exactly the money goes to the transportation department because I would like to contact them the town of Babylon and ask for that money so I could somehow find a way to send my children to St. Dominics because in comparison to other two schools that have the ability to take public transportation, there is no public transportation to St. Dominic's. So I would like to be very creative, politically correct and find an interesting way because sometimes you think outside the box, right? So I'd like to know how much money will this school district be paying if my children are here, which is not an option for us. Thank
084you. Thank you. Excuse me. Can you just give your name over here to the district clerk because she has to write it down. Next person can come up. So, um, board of education or can we just do like another whoever's left online? We'll just do those remaining people for the um, agenda item. So, whoever's online, those are the individuals that will. So, we'll let you go to the end and um, we'll just kind of go from there. So, that that'll be it. So the most like another like another nine minutes. Yeah. Put it put it at 10. Put another 15 and we'll just wrap it up from there. The most. So whoever's online, those are the ones will be able to speak and then we'll go on from there. So only the ones that are
085online. So I'm sorry. After this gentleman here, he's going to be the last one. Okay. No, the last one that's on the line, we're going to make it from there. So go ahead. Whoever was at the mic. Um hello. I am here on behalf of the mascot name that was chosen for the school. I have me and my sister over the past day sent out petitions and been going around to students both in the high school and middle school because there has been extreme distaste, discomfort and dissatisfaction with the name of Hawks. Specifically because of the reason it's been chosen and it's a deplorable reason for why. The main reason what I've heard from students that have siblings in the middle school and in the elementary school that the elementary schoolers and sixth graders who
086voted for the hawks have voted for it because a big joke. The joke being hawkua or hawka spit on that thing which is a deplorable joke because it's in reference to oral intercourse. They are planning and voted for it so that they can shout hawk to when we score points have shouts for it and other schools have already been referencing us as the Amityville Hawkuas. It's deplorable and I really don't want to graduate as that for my mascot name. So, we have petitions to change it from the Tides um from the Hawks to the Tides. And from the people that I wasn't able to get to sign, it seems to be in Greece in the high school and majority of the middle school that we are fine with anything but the Hawks as our mascot.
087So, thank you. If you just want to give the petition to the district clerk right here, I'm sorry. Did you just did you give your name? Did you you just give it to the clerk there? Yeah. Thank thank you students for coming and speaking up. It took a lot of lot of courage to do that. So, thank you for coming out and speaking up. Appreciate it. Thank you. Hi. Forgive me. Um, I too wrote an email regarding uh the busing and everything else on uh March 28th and I've yet to receive a response. And basically what I was suggesting in my email that you didn't reply to was that instead of going into the you know minutia of the miles just grandfather what we have right now have grandfather what we have today and in
088order to maintain that work on a central bus stop or things whatever it takes to maintain what what people know today and have for years. And then if you start with the mileage, then you can you can add a few and then you get to that St. Mary's and Manhasset is X and all a sudden like, oh, we're just an inch away from that. Let's let's all go to St. Mary's and and we'll get a bus. You can't you can't you have to either grandfather it by the school and forget the miles. I mean, you can include the miles, but just grandfather the schools that they're inclusive as we sit here today. And as far as running out of time, if we could just have um community members that have a voting say in in
089this community speaking first instead of wasting community time at the microphone, maybe we'd all have more time. It's not but it's a public meeting and it's open. It's open to anyone. Am I correct? Legal, you don't have to live in a district to speak. So, thank you so very much. Okay. We Well, then they should Right. Exactly. Thank you. Hello. I know. I know. I start Rodrik Paresi, principal of St. Martin. Thank you for allowing me to speak. I just have some concerns about the transportation. Um, first off, our school St. Barnators is I don't want to say unique, but we house nursery to 8th grade in one school. We don't have different buildings like Amityville, elementary school, middle school, high school. So the bus routing is all to the one school, one stop, one
090pickup. Well, pick up along the route, but it's still the one thing. If you're looking to extend that half a mile, you're affecting a lot of students as far as walking and a safety concern. Um, that's more my concern is the safety. Um if you consider children walking on busy roads like Bay View 110 Merrick Road um some of those roads do not have sidewalks of high heavy traffic high speeds unsupervised unsupervised intersections. I heard somebody also talk about crossing guards. If you extend busing now you're putting just my school alone 40 to 50 extra students on the street. That means you're going to have to put crossing guards on Merrick Road, on Bay View, on 110. That alone is going to be more than the busing. And I know that's not an Amityville concern,
091but it's a taxpayer concern. So, the busing or the crossing guards, it's going to the taxpayers. Um, I know in a a form that I received that said something about St. monitors. It was going to cost $44,000 into your budget and a letter that said it was a a major concern. I never received that letter till today. So that means my parents in my school never received that letter till today when I sent it out. Um so they're don't really have a voice on what's going on. Um I took mileage today.7 miles from Sunrise Highway to St. Wanda Tours, 0.9 miles from Merrick Road. I'm sorry. Yes. 0.9 miles from Merrick Road via Bay View to St. Marts and 6 miles from Merrick Road via Broadway to my school. That means all those students that
092live outside of that, I mean under that are going to be walking. So, you're going to have students walking over Sunrise Highway. You're going to have kids crossing over Merrick Road, down Bay View, off 110, and you're talking fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth graders. Is that correct? I believe within the mileage. Um, so that that's a concern for me. That's a safety concern. Um, you have a lot of young kids that'll be walking in the street and you know I saw in your spreadsheet you had like three accidents listed in the back. You can't judge accidents. Now you're putting more kids on the road and people walking. There's going to be problems. Community concerns I have right now. Right now my back parking lot is full of cars with transportation as is now. If you
093take those 50 other parents and put them in my park lot to pick up and drop off, we are going to be on Oak Avenue out to 110 and that becomes a community problem. That becomes a resident problem. So, there's a lot more into this than saving $44,000. And if you're looking at a $2 something million deficit, is $44,000 really worth the safety of our children? So, that's all my concern. Thank you for your time. I appreciate it. And thank Have a good night. Hi, Chris Papiel. Okay. Um, okay. I just want to address a couple of things that I heard up here tonight. You know, specifically on this uh end of the room. Okay. First thing I'd like to address is I agree, you know, anything in this budget should not impact a sing
094a single moment of kids education. Nothing should get in the way of that. That's number one. Number two, and u I think you I think you know what's coming. Okay. Um you know, we shouldn't rely on a an extra grant. You know, it's it may not come or it may come as you said, maybe maybe it's going to be less, maybe it's going to be more. You don't know, you know. So I don't think any budget after this one should ever be prepared in such a way where you know we don't have a clear view of the target which leads to the other thing that I heard here today you know if we don't have a plan to do this you know this you know you know going forward and maybe it's time to uh
095start over. Thank you. Thank you. My name is Elizabeth Neimi Pettit. Um, and I would like to address Miss Quintine's comment slashthreating the board considering a referendum to alter the distance from 15 to 20 miles, indicating it would be an expense at the cost of the children in district. The children who live in Amityville who have taxpayer parents who choose to send their c children to religious schools are still children who live in district. Our children live here. We are taxpayers. There are 250 plus children who live in district and attend religious schools as their parents' choice. All that's being asked for is that be they be transported to school and sometimes having the distance be 15 to 20 miles or not be per the direct numbers of the most recent referendum. If all of
096these children decided to go to the Amityville public schools tomorrow, you could not afford us. It's over $10 million to educate those children. The parents are not asking for much. And I would just ask that you consider, of course, everyone would love it if you passed it without a referendum. Um, but that you consider definitely putting that referendum forward. Um, and considering all the other possibilities for these families to have transportation. Thank you. Thank you, Stephanie Andrews. Aville. Um I know Miss Bazi talked about um Dr. Talba talked about looking back to see when a maybe a referendum was passed. Um when was the first time Shamanad was given a bus? What year was that? Cuz that's a recent thing. It's not something that was done for 10 15 years. We we believe it. We
097were told 2017. So that's really when we should start looking in the minutes and in all the agendas is why would you look prior to that? Because if something didn't change that year, I'm sure every year somebody was going to shaman and put in for it and got denied it. Same thing with St. If somebody went to St. Dominic's, I'm sure there's a few other schools that got denied. So something happened that year. Well, and that would be relatively quicker to find out than to go starting back from the year of the flood, working your way forward. I think you should work your way backwards. I I think they they have please correct me. I think they have looked at 2017 and moving incoming. I think please correct me if I'm wrong. Yeah, they have.
098Yeah, they they didn't see anything in that time frame from 2017. So then so something happened in 2017. I'm sure there was somebody in 2016 who went to Shamanad 2015. That's why they're going. So who authorized the bus to Shamanad? It has to come out of the transportation department. Somebody has to put it up on the agenda because you vote on it as a board when you vote for all those little individual buses. Yeah. That's why they're looking back through everything now. As far as the name, I'm appalled when these Thank God these girls got up and said what the kids really voted for. I didn't even think of that. Who could even think of that as an adult? That to me is the sole reason you should be rejecting that name. forget about any
099other reason. Um, and I know it was brought up I think of some articles. I mean, the crimson tide, the tide was used, it's been used in the district, may not be official, but it was always used in the sports teams, at least in the football team, and Amville is known for its football, basketball, and wrestling. Um certainly uh if you remember when we had history making double-digit improvement every subject every grade under Dr. Dorbin assistant superintendent Mike Cohen uh their um motto that they started using was a rising tide lifts all boats. I think in conjunction with the name Crimson Tide or the tide um I think that would be an appropriate choice. And in fact, if I remember uh there was a while there that the school stopped using Ammyville Memorial High School
100until I learned um we as a board learned why it was called Memorial. It's named after all the servicemen and women. It was dedicated to them. And I believe the ring when they re restructured the ring to match the name. I believe the tide was on the other side of the ring besides the warrior head. So I think that is actually um a good suggestion. I think it was one of the choices of I was reading one article. I don't And the other thing is um Mr. Perezy brought up uh about the letter that was sent out. Now I don't have children in the district have grandchildren. That's but I never got that letter. I'm a taxpayer. I want to know why the board didn't ensure that everyone got that letter. I can we we're
101all taxpayers whether we have kids no kids kids in the district kids in private kids in paroials irrelevant. Why would district funds used to target a specific group? Could you imagine if another board did that for only a group that they wanted support from but not everybody else? And if it weren't for Mr. Perezy sending that letter out, we wouldn't even know about that letter. Thank you. Do we have an answer for that? No, I don't have an answer right now. No. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. So, we're going to go to the regular agenda. Um Oh, it has to be very quick. Is it is it related to the agenda? Yes. Just quickly, please. Okay. Good evening everyone. My name is Tiar Hopson. I'm a Amityville Memorial High School graduate and I just wanted
102to propose an idea for an opportunity for everyone to get clarity on the intentions of the school board where as a community of course the goal is for parents to do what it is that they would like with their children but the community is what is the goal and when you're talking about cutting of funds it's not to say parents can't send their kids to the school of which they choose. It's just ensuring that there's equity and access for all students. no matter where you live, no matter what your intentions are, and that students get the best quality education that's possible. That's all I wanted to share. Thank you. We're going to go to continue on to the agenda. We're going down to agenda item 2C1, which is reviewing of the April 22nd agenda. Um,
103so yes, if you have any So I know for example for some of the TBDs, they're going to be um they will be hopefully um filled by the end of the week. Hopefully that that's one. So anything that's TBD um that will be filled by the end of the week. So I will go I'll start from this end. Leslie, do you have any questions? Well, I'll start I'll start from the top. So agenda item 2 A1 and two. Any questions regarding the approval of the of the board minutes for next for April 22nd. Anyone have any questions on that? Aren't we missing 226? Don't we have to we we tabled last? Yes. So we had that on there. So I'm sorry. Make trustee me was asking me what am I looking at? I'm looking at
104the April 22nd agenda. All right. So, we're on the April 22nd agenda, just review. So, yes, we do need to read the February 26 minutes to the to the agenda because we had tabled the item, so it needs to be back on the table to vote. Um, the only other thing is we have some policies for a final reading. Um, I know the policy committee hopefully can maybe get together before that. Um, I'd like to see the final readings on there and the first readings are the other ones that are in Q. All right. So, we'll work together with the policy committee to get that. Yeah. Um any questions in regarding um two 2C 123 I mean one 122 just I want to make sure has the board received all the information regarding the um
105the Bosey's budget vote and the nominees does is anyone missing any any information everyone has received information I should look through everything yeah just if not please you know let the district clerk know we can get additional information from bothies and I I understand that those they're um existing trustees that are up for reelection. Yes, I believe. Um any comments? Anything about the adoption of a new name and mascot? Yes. Clearly, we need more discussion before just presenting a new name to adopt in the next meeting. Uh, so I don't know if we should discuss that later on in this meeting, but I doesn't seem like we could just go straight to adopting it at the next meeting, right? There would be no more, excuse me, there would be more discussion that needs to take
106place and as a board education there. What we can do is either adopt the name that was provided to us or we can decide not to adopt it. If we decide not to adopt it, for example, then what happens from that point? then they have to go back out again and select another name or which is why I'm asking if we could just talk about it later on at this meeting and not waiting until the next meeting. That's fine. Okay, we can talk at the end. Thank you. So, um also on the mascot, I guess like it's unfortunate that it was announced right before we adopted it formally, right? The board of education, we didn't discuss it. We were not on the task force. Um so there's a lot of community members that are upset
107and you know the students came and explained further. Um as far as discussion I think it would be helpful if the task force produced a summary of what steps were taken to to get to this initial vote. like we like we really don't know how we went from the community survey that kicked off to where we are today. So to understand how many times they met, who was on the task force, how were they selected to be on the task force and what did like what led to their decisions to come down to the four names and just as a starting point for the discussion and I understand Chris if we can discuss further too but it would be nice to summarize what actually took place. So there there were um we can talk about
108it at the end but there were several meetings. There was a um there was a survey that was sent out um to the community to the alumni to everyone who wanted to answer the survey. That was one part. Then um there was a task force. there was a task force um also there was a meeting that provided the results of that of the survey and the task force members were there at that particular meeting and the task force did consist of um school I mean um employees students and whatnot so because I actually attended that particular meeting and I saw the results of the survey and I saw and it was all publicized and whatnot um also um Dr. Talba did pres do a presentation to the board at one of the meetings in regards
109to the results of everything with the mascot and who was on the who was on the committee and the all the steps that took place. So it was everything was presented to us. The only thing that was and then so everything was presented to us. The board was aware of everything that happened. I'm sorry. Okay. So, are you saying that I can't request that it be documented the step by step of who was on the task force and how things progressed? No, I'm not saying that you can't. I'm just saying that it it was presented before and information was given to us so we can she can send it out to us again. So, therefore, it'll be in, you know, in the forefront of our hands. Do we have to all agree to get something
110summarized? No, it's just it's already in it's already in the Go ahead, Dr. Ter. So, initially in the fall, I shared with the board a timeline as to how we were going to move forward with the mascot after the board decided we were going to withdraw from the lawsuit. At that time, we administered a survey to the community to get the community's feedback. We shared those results and the feedback at a community forum and we also shared the results at a board meeting. Following that, a part of the timeline that I presented to the board was to establish a mascot task force. This mascot task force consisted of parents, students. I'm looking at Michael, our VP over there. um and also Jesus, the president of our student government association at the high school as well
111as uh representatives from the various unions and stakeholders in the school. Um, I'm just on April the 3, I also shared with the board of education a memo from Evan Farcus, our director of athletics, providing you with a mascot update on what steps were taken. So, in that memo, it states that following the forum and the forum was impactful where it was made clear that student input should be the driving force behind this decision. And after that meeting, we convened our mascot task force. This group included a range of stakeholders such as parents, community members, teachers, and students. We also introduced them that night at the forum. At this meeting, the task force reviewed the results of the initial community survey and determined that a follow-up survey should go out to high school students to
112gather their feedback on the top six mascot names that had emerged. Student responses made it clear that many of these options were not wellreceived and there was strong interest in considering alternative names. In response to this feedback, we held student focus groups through school clubs and athletic teams to generate additional ideas from these discussions. Four final mascot options were selected. Tide, Cardinals, Hawks, and Storm. These were then reviewed and approved by the mascot task force. Throughout this process, there was constant communication with the student government president and vice president who provided valuable input and helped ensure that the student perspective was reflected at every step. It was ultimately determined that the final selection would be made by the student body. A vote was held to choose from the four finalists with voting concluding this past
113Monday. That is pretty much the process that was followed. I would like to just take a moment to share the voting numbers from the student population which was recommended to be a part of the resolution. Okay, that piece. Oh, here it is. So, the voting numbers were as follows. For Cardinals, there were 316 total votes. For Hawks, there were 557 total votes. For Tide, there were 35 total votes. And for Storm, there were 45 total votes. Students in grades 3 through 12 voted individually and students in preK through two voted by class for a total of votes. I just wanted to be able to share that information or whatever clarity it may provide as it pertained to the process that was followed. All right. So, we're going to move on and if we want to
114discuss it more, we'll do it at the end. Thank you, Dr. Talbin. I appreciate the update. Um, any questions in from 3B1 up to All right. On board action, Lisa, we don't we don't have adopting the budget, right? March on April 22nd. No, we don't we don't No, we don't have it on as of right now, the board of education would have to decide if we want to do it on April 22nd or if we want to adopt the budget on April 23rd. Yeah. Can I can I just speak to that a second? So, it says that the budget has to be adopted 25 days out from the vote, which would be April 25th. But then there's another caveat that says the budget would have to be adopted 3 days prior to military ballots going
115out, which brings us to April 22nd. So we can adopt it after April 22nd, but there would be no figures involved like the budget numbers would not be involved. They would just say, you know, you're passing the budget. I think for transparency's sake, if we're sending ballots out, military or they they're entitled to have the numbers as well. My opinion is I'm for full transparency and I think we should stick to that everybody's entitled to see the numbers of the budget. So I think that we should do it on the 22nd. So I would like to see it on the agenda legal. You give me because because you said the monetary figure doesn't have to go. You said in accordance with Right. It it it's never been in on the ballot. So if you go
116back and look at last year's ballot, ballot before that, the ballot before that, it the number is not stated on the ballot. the ballot the num the number the budgetary figure is provided at the budget hearing. So under uh the budget is provided at the budget hearing is presented and that's where the the budget is presented to the voters and that's the number that is voted on by the voters. If you look at prior year ballots going back um as far as we looked the the actual number is not on the ballot. Well, don't you think that that's odd? Why wouldn't we have the number that people are voting on? It's their tax dollars because the numbers is provided through the process outlined in 1716 of the education law which is the notices at the
117budget presentation. The notices and the notices. Okay. Because I know a lot of districts are doing it on the 22nd. So I would just hate for us to, you know, I just wanted to clarify that that I misunderstood that number was never there. I mean a looked at other we looked at the ballots going back and that the actual figure is not in the ballot. Okay. So that's the part that I misunderstood. I thought it was. I wasn't. So I apologize, but I still would like to see it on the 22nd. I don't think there's a need for another meeting. I'm sorry, Lisa. Are you asking us to schedule another meeting? Yes, I was going to ask. So therefore, there was there was some items that we wanted to discuss in executive session. So my
118thought was if we met on April 23rd to adopt the budget, then we could meet before that and dedicate the issue that we were talking about in executive session prior. That was my proposal. It's a proposal. We already have a meeting scheduled. We often run out of time in executive session, but we're gonna have an executive session on the 22nd. I don't see why we have to schedule another meeting the next day or two days later. So, all I'm just saying to you is this is that we all know that we always run out of time in executive session and the matter that we wanted to discuss is going to take some time. So, I'm just making a proposal and if we would like to do it on the 23rd, we can do it on
11923rd. So, we can make that final decision as we move along. All right. So I don't want to hold when we come back to open session when we come back to like old business new business we can finalize that decision in terms of let's for the agenda we'll put the budget adoption on the 22nd. No what I'm saying is like can we move through this agenda when we come back to like new business we can bring back this up again and we can make our final decision if it's going to be on the 22nd or the 23rd. But isn't that what we're supposed to be doing? We're looking at the agenda to say if we agree with the agenda, but then we're not going to talk about the agenda till later. Like, why would we
120just do it right now? What I'm saying is that there's a discussion about whether or not we want to do the budget hearing on the 22nd or the 23rd. So, I can put it out here right now. Do we want to do it on the on the 23rd for the budget hearing? It allows just a little bit more time for getting all the numbers. It also allows more importantly for that time in executive session. So, to your point, and I'm not to So, what do you what do people want to do? Do you want to leave it on 22 or the 23rd? Yeah. No, I see your point that we do need more time, but I think for transparency, if that's our next scheduled meeting, like people have a right to see if we vote
121or not. I don't think people are going to come out to a special meeting for one action item. What does the board want to do? The 22nd. I would like to see it on the 22nd. I mean, if for some reason we still don't have it, then at that point we schedule another meeting. But I don't. This is the scheduled meeting and so I've heard from two people. What does the board want to do? I want to go with the 22nd. I'm good with 22. 22nd. We'll move along. Any anything between 3B1 through 3B1 through 71? 3B1 through 3B71. Any question on those items? I'm still in the 22nd. I'm trying to get us through that. 3B1 to 3B 71. Any question on any of these items? I mean, I guess we'll get the backup
122information. I think we have it. Um, if it's grant grant funded or not, these regions review teachers or the C ESY teacher, right? I mean, should we be asking that now or we're wait or we're waiting to see the We never did this before. I don't think that we went to the agenda before. Yeah, we have. We have maybe it was a long time ago. Yeah, we do it every time. Yeah. Okay. So, um did you want me to ask that question now or you want me to wait 20 seconds? Any questions on 3B 3C 1 through five which is on the business. Any questions on the finance? But we're not so like the order like we're not supposed to like ask that now. You can ask it. You can ask at the next meeting.
123I'm just saying. All right. Accept. All right. So, anything under um contracts? Any questions or curricum instruction? I'm just going to I'm going to move along there. Okay. All right. So going back to the main agenda and I apologize to the committee but legal needs to discuss a matter with us. So we need to go back into executive session just short only for like maybe 10 15 minutes the the most. So can I have a motion to go back into executive session at 9:37 p.m. for advice from council? Second. Carol set first, Chris Near in a second. All those in favor? I I sorry for the inconvenience. We don't do this at all often, but we will come back out and continue the rest of the agenda, which will be from 2C2 down to 2C7.
124Thank you for your patience. D. All right. So, we're going to continue with the uh agenda. Can I have a motion for agenda item 2 C2, please? Motion Chris Naran is first. Second. Carol Seahhoff is second. Any questions on this agenda item? Right. Yeah. All those in favor? I I All those opposed. Strongly opposed. That's Wendy. Megan. Carol. I'm sorry. I didn't hear you count. I was an I. you I right so it's five the motion um passes 52 so it's winestro and mega messening for no can I do agenda items three um 2 C3 4 and five all together motion second motion is for agenda item I'm sorry not three for agenda item two C 3 to 2C5. Sorry about that. Chris Narin is first. Second. Winnie Kestro is second. Any question on these
125items? All those in favor? I I motion carries. 70. Can I have a motion to appoint um Colin Andowski as the external auditors? Motion. Second. Winnie Kesho is first. Caroline Fran is second. Any discussion on this item. All those in favor? I. I. Did everyone say I? Yes. I'm sorry. All um motion carries. 70. Can I have a motion for agenda item 2 C 7? Motion. Caroline Fanning is first. Second. Chris Ner is second legal. Thank you. So this evening there was a presentation and in the presentation it referred to the $400,000 cost of the transportation uh to and from schools in excess of 15 miles and that amount is $400,000. So, uh, presently, uh, the $400,000 expenditure is not authorized. Uh, there was some discussion about, uh, whether it maybe provide within the board's
126discretion. Uh, the statute refers to, uh, board may and its discretion provide transportation for pupils residing within the district to a non-public school located more than 15 miles from the home of any such pupil. provided that such transportation has been provided to such public school pursuant to this subdivision in at least one of the immediately preceding three years. So that has not happened. Uh the district has not provided transportation uh to a school to a student from that school uh to a student's home in the immediate immediately preceding last three years. Uh the transportation was provided in excess of 15 miles. So that transportation is not authorized. Uh so the $400,000 is not an authorized expenditure going into the 2526 school year. And that's irregardless of whether you receive uh grants and aid of $2
127million or not. that the $400,000 could not be included in the 2526 budget unless it unless it is authorized by the voters. If it is authorized by the voters pursuant to a separate proposition, then the $400,000 is a school district obligation. you are obligated to provide the transportation pursuant to that proposition uh to schools from to schools within that 20 mile uh limitation new limitation. Uh regardless of whether you get the $2 million grant and aid or not. uh and that two million and that $400,000 uh would be added to the budget authorized by the voters to determine whether or not your total budget is uh in compliance with the tax levy. So that $400,000 if authorized by the voters would be headed to the amount authorized by the the budget proposition to determine whether
128your budget is uh in compliance with the the tax levy limit and not not needing a supermajority to pass. Uh, so I just wanted to clarify that point that the $400,000 uh currently is not authorized to be part of the the 2526 budget regardless of whether you receive $2 million in grant and aid or not. And that if it is authorized by the voters, you are obligated to provide that transportation and fund that transportation irregardless of whether whether you receive $2 million in aid. Any questions? I'd like to comment. Go ahead. Well, it's it's not about this, but about this topic in general. So, um I don't want to cut you off if you were going to reply specifically to John. Yeah, I think she's going to answer say something. Okay. Question. If the referendum
129is voted on tonight and presented to the voters to determine if this transportation will be authorized and it passes. If the same budget, if the budget, the district's budget is voted on and fails, are we held to upholding the passage of the off the uh transportation referendum? Yes, you are you are obligated to provide it even if your budget fails twice. Okay. Can you would go on and your and your budget is limited to the prior year's levy, you'd still have to provide the transportation and funded. In addition, uh we would have to reduce our budget by $400,000. Otherwise, you'd have to reduce your budget by $400,000 to ensure that it is complying with the tax levy limit. Thank you, Caroline. Um, so another thing we learned in executive session, um, the timing. You got
130to be careful. So, the timing issue. Sorry, I'm secrets. It's due tonight. I thought we had till the 22nd to actually vote on a prop because one of the questions that multiple um community members via email and up at the mic asked, why 20 miles? Why not something more targeted? And it seems really unfortunate that this became a private versus parochial school fight when that didn't really have to happen. None of the parochial school families who came to the mic to ask for um special accommodations were asking more for more. They were asking for a reasonable consideration given the fact that the district allowed transport that it wasn't authorized to provide. Therefore, you know, I was hopeful that we could take a scalpel instead of a sledgehammer to the problem. To me, I was thinking
131the solution would be create a new mileage requirement with new anchor students. So, the furthest of the three schools in question who have students who need to be grandfathered out of this unfortunate situation is St. Dominic's. The Mammville student who lives the closest to St. Dominic's is 16.9 miles. So, that should be the new mileage, not 20. And then that would include all of these students who are currently enrolled and give them time to get out. Further, many of the parochial families who have come up to spike uh speak to us have said they're willing to take a bus one way. That shows that they've got some skin in the scheme that they understand too that cuts are happening everywhere. I emailed John a while ago and asked, could we offer one-way busing? I know
132it's mandated to and from within the 15, but because we are choosing to offer more, could we get a one-way bus? And John indicated there's no ruling that says yes or no. So the question is, do we want to take a chance? Yes or no? The parents have said they're cool with it. It seems like a reasonable thing to try for. So I was very hopeful that we could suggest that. And then the idea would be these students would get grandfathered out and then other parents who are considering parochial schools for their kids, their eighth graders would not choose these schools because it's only a one-way bus. So that was my out of the box thinking for a way to do right by these families who had the goalpost changed on them without minimize minimizing
133the cost and giving us an offramp. So that's what I was going to propose tonight because I thought we had till the 22nd. Come to find out we have to vote tonight and the only prop we have to vote on unless we can change it. Can we write up a prop tonight? Sure you can amend it. Sure you can amend it. The prop. Okay. So let's do a prop for 16.9 make it 17 just to play it safe one way. So can I just ask a question? So um with with the with the seven excuse me thank you so very much. So with the 17 miles, all right, if it's just one school that's with if it's a school and a child, right, that is going to that one school that does that encompass any
134other school that goes past the 17 miles. if that one location is so what what Caroline so to to do what Caroline is is referring to I think you would need to find the anchor students are of the other anchor students within the 17 miles that to the other schools so I have been communicating with some of these parents and I determined St. Dominic's is the furthest school okay okay Shamanad is pretty close but St. Dominics is the furthest furthest I mean so the distance is from from student to school right so it's it's dependent on two things right the school yeah there's two variables okay so first you need to find out which is the furthest school dominics okay from whatever student could qualify okay okay so now of all the St. Dominic's students
135who are already St. Dominic's students which one lives the closest to St. Dominics. The point is to keep the extended mileage as short as possible to get as close to 15 as possible. So if that number is 16.9, if the closest St. Dominic student is 16.9 miles, make that the maximum that we extend the mileage by. And then we're not accidentally including St. Mary's or any other private school that could fall within a 20 mile radius of a student. But I would also I I'm still concerned if it's a two-way bus, then we will continue to be on the hook for these three schools and we still can't afford it. Like we don't want to continue offering these three schools and definitely personally I don't because I think we need to make cuts everywhere. I
136just have empathy for these families and feel like at a minimum the voters should decide how do we write the wrong but still try to pull back. So I feel strongly about the one-way um caveat option inclusion. Yeah. I mean so any any student that you know the students that are being referred to now are eligible for the transportation but any any student that would come in after the after the proposition is passed would also be entitled and they'd be entitled to a bus both ways. Right. So that's that's the problem with the one way for the current cohort of students. It doesn't Sorry, I asked you this very specific question. You said you couldn't find any ruling to address it specifically. The lower paragraph said you'd still right that this the issue is the
137statute is clear in terms of transportation to and from the school they legally reside based upon the mileage. So the mileage is that criteria, the statutory authorization is to and from the school they legally reside. You have a student who moves in after the proposition is passed, they'd be entitled to transportation to and from the school they legally reside based upon the mileage. So you you have a new student that is beyond the current cohort, they'd be entitled to a bus to and from, not just one oneway bus. That ruins it for me. Okay. Can I can I put can I say something? Um yeah. I what I think Dr. T wanted to say something. Sure. Um I know um that was proposed one mile. Um I just want to say a couple of things.
138I know some people had mentioned grandfathering in when you do this proposition. It's in perpetuity until you put up another proposition and it's passed. So we can't just say hey we'll do it for like the next five years till they're grandfathered furthered in maybe none of us will be here maybe that institutional knowledge won't be here maybe the next people that are here might not want to do that so that's a big risk going one way is also a risk I think that if it somebody challenged it we would be incurring legal fees and I don't know that we would prevail because I think students have to be brided to and from so looking at risk for the district. I don't think that's a risk that I'm willing to take. Um, it's interesting what Caroline
139has proposed, the 6.9, but who did 16.9? Who decides that? Do we just do a Google map and say this is it? So, I I guess before we have a knee-jerk reaction to do that, which obviously sounds better less, how is that official just because somebody did it on their phone? Well, that that's just me asking the parents that I know who who's the closest. So, trusting that they did the calculations properly, right? But we had two more weeks to kind of make sure that So, I guess I'm concerned with the official capacity of that. And one other thing that I want to say, I've seen like a lot of this public versus private school and you know, fire on the fuel for both of them. It is absolutely correct that the board of education
140represents every taxpayer and every child in this district. Parents have the choice to educate wherever they want. Um but we have to represent everybody equally and we're a voice for everybody. So I do just want to make that point. Um I'm not comfortable with one way. I think that would be challenged. We'd probably lose. I don't think that I would want to spend money in litigation. Um if it was less of mileage perhaps. I do feel strongly though that it's up to the voters to decide. The board of education doesn't decide this. The voters can decide if they want to spend money on that or if they want to pass it. Of course, it's up to us if we're going to put the referendum up or not or whether we're going to amend it. But
141this comes back to voters voters decision. So, I have a question for John. What would happen if we put a prop up one way, two-way for 16.9 miles this year? Could we put a prop up next year to bring it back to 15 with the understanding that the student like let's say the first prop passed. So now now all these students who were getting buses are now getting them legally voter approved. And then next year we put a prop up to go back to 15. But they will continue to get that bus because there's that three-year lag effect. Would that be allowed? That's a loophole. That's fascinating. He doesn't want to answer. We need those two more weeks to figure this out. I think um as as you're as you're pondering, it would it still
142be up to the voters, right? And you know as as Trusty Canestro said it it's up to the the voters whether they change that or not. No. Understood. But what so if it so it it's one it's one year in the preceding last in the last preceding three years and they would have been legally entitled to that transportation for the 25 26 school year. So they would have you would have provided that transportation uh once in the proceeding last the immediate proceeding for the last three years. So uh that that would be in within the board's wait it's not hold on a second please go ahead. So it would be within technically I believe it would be within the board's discretion even if the voters change the mileage back to 15. But then couldn't it
143be a situation where you've Okay, so voters approve 16.9 this year, voters approve going back to 15 next year, but you still have kids that are kind of able to piggyback. The minute a kid doesn't piggyback, it switches off like a light switch because we already have the Broer Prop that is now going back to 15. Like you don't have to be vigilant. Oh look, there's no shaman kids anymore. let's now try to you know change the mileage so that that mileage that mileage through pursuant to the central pickup point is discretionary with the board. So it's it's not that that central pickup point um transportation is discretionary with the board as long as you meet the criteria of having it provided to a student in the last in the immediate preceding last three years
144legally. So whether you provide that transportation in the subsequent year, you you you permit it for the 2526, you uh vote the voters decide not to provide for 2627 that school year. It would be a discretionary with the board at the as to whether you want to provide that transportation pursuant to the central pickup point. Okay, I got you. All right. So, um I'm are you okay? So, I just want to say that I I do agree it is up to the voters to decide whether or not um the transportation is provided or children who live past the 15 miles. My biggest concern is the cost down the line that right now we know that the cost is approximately $400,000. So, if this proposition goes on the ballot and if we support it and it
145goes up to I'll just say 20 miles at at this point in time. The question that I have as we move down the line is we don't know how many addition indiv individuals will request transportation starting for next year where the deadline is April 1st. And if that happens, if the cost right now is $400,000, we don't know what that cost is going to go up to for the following year. So that's just my biggest concern in doing the proposition and put it on the ballot. I think the board would have to remember where from future years that if the mileage is up to 20 miles that that will be an additional cost of anywhere between we don't know that we don't know the number and I do agree that yes, we do as we
146sit on the board, we represent the entire community. So, it's something that when we represent the entire community, we have to look to make sure that it's equitable and make sure that we are able to provide transportation to parents who make that decision to send send their kids to private school. And I think that's the thing that's just most important for us that I think as a board that we not I think I do feel that we do need to remember as a board that we know the course right now but we have to think about what the course will be down the line and we don't know what that course is going to be and that's just my only point I go ahead just want to add to your point um on the transmitt
147we got on Friday it had a list of schools that would be within the 20 mile range And according to this proposition, that would make it um eight schools including the three that we currently have. So that would be an addition of five schools that could possibly be added on in the future that would require transportation. So again, to your point, we don't know what that cost would end up being. Any other? So, do we is the 20 miles was that determined officially? Um, Dr. Talbert says she needs to clarify that. Thank you. So, I know the mileage of 16 nine was put on the table as the max, but I do need permission just to ask Mr. Spence, could he clarify that as we were researching this, I believe the farthest distance exceeded 16.9.
148Do you recall? Can you just come to the mic for me? Thank without looking at it, I believe that there were a few that were over that 16.9. The one Hold a second. Let Let him finish. Go ahead. The one that you and I tracked together because we were trying to find the shouted the shortest route, I believe it ended up at 17.8 if my mind is working correctly. So I recall 17.8. There were that there were some that were around 17 miles. I remember that as well. Yes, it's from the actual home address to the school. So it may vary from home to home. Um but because I too question the 20 you're just going based off the anchor student, not all the students. like there may be students past 16.9 and there are.
149So the point to keep the mileage as constricted as possible is for the furthest school find the closest anchor student and that keeps it as tight as possible because yes if you go from um Amityville Beach to St. Dominic's it probably is 20 miles but you don't need to keep keep it that wide. So is the proposal that the referendum could establish a new knowledge for anchor students? Yeah, we could we could amend it. Why if we could reduce it, why would if it was one way because I I don't want to be on the hook. I I don't I don't know. You need an anchor student for each school. That that's the point. It doesn't cover all the schools, right? So you you know I know it's a further school. I I just going
150to I don't know sitting here right now whether the 16.9 miles gives you an anchor student for each school such that you can implement a centralized pickup point for each school under consideration. So each school has to be within let's just say we'll round it off to 17 miles. So each school there has to be one student who's the anchor student that's in that mile. But we can't say we cannot say if there's one student that goes to let's just say St. Dominic's if they go to to that particular high school we cannot turn around and say that that's the anchor um point for all the other private schools. Correct. But I would I would guess that it is based on the fact that that 16.9 is going to the furthest school. Again, there's a
151lot of more math that needs to be figured out now um from these like do we know where all these students live who are in question, but don't we need that information before we could vote on it? Like we need to know what the exact the the you know the three schools in question what what the anchor distance would be. You don't have that right Nate? You don't have that off hand. And just to clarify, we don't just use one mileage. We try to look at all the different variables. Now, there's dozens of roads you can travel, but the SED does stipulate that the school district does not have to provide an incredible amount of time in seeing if the most direct route is the shortest. And I found that wording today. So, we are
152diligent and we look for at least two or three different ways to go to these buildings. and all of them exceeded the mileage that we're supposed to provide at right now. Okay. So, I'm just not sure how we would vote without knowing the exact mileage. That's the problem. So either if we we don't know the exact mileage, we may have to stay with with the 20 miles because the problem is is that we don't know the exact mile for each school where to Caroline's point where you're saying there's an anchor. There has to be an anchor student. Well, Caroline's talking about having an anchor point, but doc um Mr. Sheenan has clarified that there has to be a student in each school with his anchor point. Caroline is saying that St. Dominics currently is the
153furthest distance away. So if they are the furthest distance away, then we would know all the other schools would there should be students within our district that would meet that mileage that's going to be under 17 miles. Because my question, what is the distance to Charminat from here? Do we know off roughly? It it all varies on the location, right? Um, in the calculations that I did, I went as far up as Greybar and every single mileage calculation that we did from Greybar was over the 15 miles. Okay. Yeah. So, like, so we don't The problem is either the board has to vote on the proposition up to 20 miles, which then potentially could include an additional eight student eight schools for next year. that may require trans additional five for a total of eight
154for a total of eight. Thank you for clarification for a total of eight stu eight schools. So we just have to keep that in mind and we don't have an exact mileage number that we can utilize at this point in time that can tell us the mileage for the other schools. Is there is there a way if we move forward like if and we revisit this agenda item I don't know is that feasible for you to get that information by the time the meeting's over and then us come back to it and revisit it knowing or is that like crazy the these are all things that we preemptively calculated I do have the numbers I just don't have the numbers in front of me to give to you right now so I'm gonna get this
155guy a laptop is it so is it is it something Dr. Dr. Tub, is this something that he could provide to us before the meeting is over before we can make a decision? Yeah. Is this something that you can I can see if I can drill down into the data? I I have my computer with me. So, let me see if I can drill down into it and get you a number before the end. All right. So, we'll keep moving along. Thank you. Just to reiterate, so we can't vote on the 22nd because it wouldn't be printed fast enough. Is that what we're saying? Well, it it won't be printed fast enough to go on the the military ballots, right? The military ballots go on the 25th. They they need the proposition on the military.
156Right. So, okay. I just wanted to reiterate that because when you're rushing and you're like on the spot, you know, you could make a mistake. Right. Right. What Nate is what we're asking Nate to do, right? Exactly. So, Yep. No one else is checking in. Yeah. All right. So, I'm gonna I'm just gonna Yeah. Go ahead, Dr. Tman. If Nate was to explore the thought and it came up to 18 miles, would that remove the five additional schools? I don't know how accurate the list is that he gave me. Um, you're not on mic. We can't hear you. It it depends, of course, where the student lives. Okay. All right. So, we'll we'll we'll continue to look at this. So, yeah, I think I think it's Yeah. So, I think it might knock it down
157to six total. Take two off. All right. So, I'm just going to Can I have a M? We're just going to leave this motion on the table and just move on. Okay. Right. So, can I have a motion for agenda item 3C1, please? Motion. Second. Chris Near is first. I believe that was Winnie Kest was second. Any questions on this agenda item? Is there any fee for that? I didn't see a fee in the agreement. It's free. Great. Thank you. All those in favor? All right. My motion carries 70. All right. Old business, new business. I have I'm going to bring up transportation again. Not this particular thing, but there's I again kind of still reeling from the idea that this is the last night for props. Wendy, you had pointed out. Do we know
158are we still trying to find referendums going back to 2013? And additionally, you know, it had been the idea had been floated. Were we considering changing the minimum mileage within district to go from a half mile to 3/4 of a mile to a mile to shave $40,000 or whatever? like what other props do we need now that we didn't think we needed now but we had been talking about John did you hear that question in terms of other voter propositions to change mileage not just for the private schools beyond 15 but in district you would have to also put in propositions to change in district I'm starting to feel like We need another meeting this week to because this this is serious stuff. Like we can't like to Megan's point, you know, I'm I'm scared
159for Nate too doing all this number crunching and we're going to vote and it's going to cost tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. We can't we can't make a mistake on that. And further, you know, there also needs to be more, you know, thoughtful deliberation. This is the first time we're really speaking about it as a group. You know, the last the 20-mile prop was dropped in our lap at the start of the last meeting. We spoke about it briefly at the end of the last meeting, but it wasn't about the merits of the prop itself. It was just the mechanics of the timing. So, this this is serious. Can I can I bring up one other point about transportation? Um, the principal of St. Martins spoke and I just wanted I don't know
160if it was clear enough to everybody when they when um the director of transportation did a presentation it was um the middle the middle school is um great well right six seven eight right so grade six is supposed to be one miles and then grades seven and eight is a mile and a half but I think the confusion is or maybe people aren't understanding is that St. Martins's right now is 0.5 miles. So the there's an inequity there that the public school children have to have longer distance to qualify for a bus, right? Am I correct in this? And then St. Martins's didn't have to be. And I think that there's a lot of confusion over that. And there is there are people that are upset and I can understand it because you're saying why
161does the child that goes to public school have to go a mile and a half and they only have to go a half a mile. So I don't know if that information was relayed or correctly articulated. So, and just to reiterate, somebody I know came to the microphone was like, you know, maybe you don't have to, you know, do exactly. No, when there's a referendum, this means that the voters came out and this is what the voters decided and this is a certified referendum. That is the law that we must follow. So, if there's been errors in the past and we know about it now, we're not going to put on blinders. We have to correct it. We have to make adjustments, put a proposition up or not. But everybody needs to understand what's happening
162and I don't know that everybody has a handle on that. So I just wanted to say that I just want to make sure that we're we're all clear on what what the mileage is right now because I think there's been so many information that has gone back and forth and for us as board members where we keep getting updates of of the mileage. So Dr. child, but if you can just maybe just kind of clarify for us once again and refresh everyone's mind where where you know where we are at because there's a couple of things. One is um go ahead go ahead. It's it's different than than what we had thought, right? Or what was presented to us. So what happened was it kind of unraveled that we saw a half a mile and
163then we're like we didn't see a half a mile then we found another referendum. So, we're kind of being updated, you know, of things too, just like you guys are. Um, but there is confusion over this definitely. So, from the transportation presentation that was done, and I just pulled it back up, it's prek to 2 is 0.5 miles, 3 to 5 is a mile, and 6 to 12 is one and a half miles. That's what we're currently utilizing at at this point in time. So, but the um proposition the referendum doesn't say referendum is different. Hold on a second. I'm just what I'm just clarifying is that so that was what was presented in a transportation presentation on on March 12th. But then the referendum the proposition that was voted on back in 1995 94
16495. Yeah. That proposition is go ahead. a little different and it reads K through three will receive transportation living more than 1/2 mile. Students in grades 4 through six living more than one mile and students in grades 7 through 12 living more than one and 1/2 mile from school. So if the mileage change, thank you Dr. T. If it changes, it's something that would encompass if we if we utilize what was on the books by law from 199495, then 1994, I'm sorry, then that would also mean that applies to both the um public school as well as the private school. So it applies to both. So if this is what is on the books right now John of K to three of.5 miles 4 to 6 of one mile and 7 to 12 as 1.5
165miles right then that is something that we would have to be going by right now correct because that's what's on the book correct that's what's authorized right so Wendy just to clarify your question I think it was it about a proposition but you're referring to a proposition that goes back to prek to 2.5 3 to five. Oh, no, that's not what I was saying. Okay. No, I just wanted people to understand that there's just lots of different information out there and like we're getting updated daily, too. But, um, so what was presented isn't correct. This referendum that they just found is now correct that we have to be in compliance with that is now going to add more buses on because third and sixth grades have shorter mileage distance than what they've been receiving. actually
166those parents that will be picking up more kids now because of that. And then the only other question about transportation I have is we went out for an RFP which I think is coming back Friday. What mileage did we use? Do we use this mileage or do we use a different mileage? So now is the RFP going to come back and it's not in complian with our referendum. It's not in compliance. Olivia This comes into my expense. Okay, great. Okay, great. Hold on a second. Just say it again. So, it's under mic. There's no mileage stipulations within the RFP. I made sure of that. The contractor is required to do whatever service the school district states they must provide. Thank you for being here tonight and being accessible to answer questions. Thank you. Always happy
167to help. I've almost done. So, I'm gonna make a comment, ask a question. Oh, I'm sorry. I was just gonna go back. Yeah. I'm sorry. No, what I what I was saying that based on the 1994 um proposition that was voted on by and and approved by the by the community the um if the the mileage that we need to adhere to it.5 miles and that's it for K through three and then four to six for one mile then that addresses the the concerns I think that some of the um I think St. Martins is having because I know they have they go up to grade eight No, no. I think I think there is confusion because they right they have they go up to eight and they were getting a half a mile, but
168they have to understand that if we're going to fall compliant, they're going to have to go to a mile, four to six, right? And then seven to eight, a mile and a half. Is that what you're saying? I just Yeah, that's what I didn't hear that. Yeah, I was just saying that for for St. Martins for all the I mean for our public schools it would mean for example that um more sixth graders would would get a bus because it's it's a mile and third graders would get a bus because it's.5 for St. Martin school district it would be um their first they would go up to the eighth grade up to the sixth grade would be able to get the buses based on either 0.5 or one mile but the 7/8 would have to
169be a mile and a half so we wouldn't need another proposition if we left it alone so I think that was the whole question behind it looking at this it just looks like you know these m the mileage was for a different grades in different schools and Nate had said earlier or maybe it was um Olivia that there's been so much change. So I I wonder if this is if we follow this obviously now we're servicing more to the younger kids but is it super inefficient because it doesn't match the grades in the building. Is that correct? like it I feel like it's not at a minimum we got to get a referendum to match what we're doing but further are we considering extending or the mileage because we need to cut costs that that's
170a conversation that we really haven't had yet you just clarify what you just said what do you mean by extending the miles well I feel like I saw in print from on one of the presentations Dr. Talbert, correct me if I imagined it. You know, if if we extend what we what we offer, like add a half mile onto each age, was that one of the suggestions, one of the recommendations? No, it wasn't a recommendation, but it was a picture that showed if we extended the mileage, we would serve less students. And we talked about the chronic absenteeism that it would foster and it would impact our attendance and the kids coming to school. Then some of the teachers stood up and spoke about it. Yeah. As well. No one wants that. I I I
171understand. Um I've got another reason to advocate for one way busing, but I'll talk about that another meeting. Um but it just seems that at a minimum we need a referendum to match who's in what building. I think the only the only building that I'm sorry the only building would be um the six well no three, four, and five here. Okay. Go ahead, Dr. Talbert. Um, being that the CBAC as well as the board has requested, you know, a utilization cost report on the buildings and we could possibly be in transition in the future, it may be wise just to leave it alone for now and as we begin to reconfigure based on what's best, then we can put that referendum out to match what our new configurations may be. But we'd have to wait
172a year. Yeah. I Yeah, I I think I don't think we should start changing it now. And if we happen to change who goes to what building, then we have to change it again. Okay. So, this was done quick. Oh, no. The shortest distance for those three schools is 15.5. The longest one that I found is 19.7. Wait. And that's just doing it quickly. But wait, the longest do you have the shortest distance for each school to be the anchor? You just three like shortest distance for Shamanad is 16.7. The shortest distance for Luhigh is 15.7. And the shortest distance for St. Dominic's is 16.24. We just took off two tents. I think John saying you need to go have one for each school. You can't just do one for all of them. So, we
173would have to pick the largest num distance. 16.7. Yeah. Yeah. which is 210 less than 16.9. 16. You're discussing it. I'm just I'm just concerned about making the decision on this and and not maybe having all accurate information. That that's just my biggest concern. I'm concerned about that as well. You have to really analyze this. Yeah. I'd rather do another quick meeting another quick session if we have to. Yeah, but it would probably have to be Friday. Um unless well parent teacher conferences are tomorrow. And but I understand but I don't want to I don't want to broke vote on a proposition and and and not have the Yeah, it needs to be like Yeah, correct. All right. As they're looking up, can we any other older new business so we can keep moving forward
174so we're not here to 12 o'clock? Mascot Go ahead. I don't want to talk about it now. Um, but just wondering what our plan would be, how to address this. Are we going to re-evaluate it or are we just going to present the resolution at the next meeting as the halls? I think we have to discuss it, right? So what what is what is each person's opinion on it and Chris being that you started you can continue the talks on its own not a bad thing but the meaning behind what um including my middle school son rumor heard the rumor of why they voted this way and when you look at the building breakdown the middle school did have the highest number of votes for Hawks that the meaning might phase out after a few
175years, but I I completely understand the students points presented before of having that stuck on them when they graduate. Leslie, anything you want to say? If we did the U resolution tonight, I'd have to say no. That would be my I'm concerned. I appreciate the process. Um I'm concerned about a few things. There was only a third of the high school uh students that voted. Was there a vote just for one day? Because there were a lot of children that did not vote. Um the numbers didn't match up. Um prek and I don't know prek, kindergarten, I don't know where else they looked at pictures, they looked at images. I don't even know if they knew what they were voting on. Um, the lower grades, I just don't know if they knew what they were
176voting on at all. Amnville has a huge long traditional, they have a history, and I really think this was taken um, it was just done too quickly, too fast. And I appreciate the students votes and input definitely and I want them to be included. But I think the community, the alumni, even the staff needs to be included on the vote. I think it's it's all stakeholders should be and I don't know how far the survey in the community went. The original survey that was sent out, how was that sent out to the community? Was it only sent out to the school community? Oh, it was on the website. um and advertised for all to participate. It was sent out via email to all of the parents. Some of the network groups that we had, we
177mailed it out. I Yeah, I understand that. But I also received lots and lots of texts and calls from community members that do not have children in the school district. And I just think that that would have been a way to go too. I think all every stakeholder should have a vote. Um but I do appreciate the kids. Absolutely. But um they could be included. Of course they could be. Definitely. That's that's just my opinion. Wendy. Um I feel like this happened backwards. We gave an announcement to the newspaper and then we're going to vote on it. Like why didn't we discuss it and talk about it and vote on it and then announce it to the paper? or um you know I feel like sometimes the board of education is not included in things
178and and this is one of the one of the areas there was a task force with no board member on it representation um when the survey came in I remember it was like I don't know 10 10 or 11 o'clock at night it was like these are the results of the survey and I remember saying why wouldn't we have put this on the agenda I think the community at large would have been really interested in that and I know that there was a meeting afterwards. I think I can't remember the time or what it was, but um you know, I too have had people reaching out to me and I didn't know that when those students said that that this is what they're saying. Like that's not good because honestly opponents are going to do
179that. Like I don't think we want to put our children or our teams in that position. Um I do want to say I think Mr. Grace, you did the video with the kids which was outstanding. I absolutely loved it. The kids did great. You did a phenomenal job. I It's a struggle because you want to empower children, right, to make a decision and that we support the the the decision. I just think there was like this disconnect where the board of education wasn't really completely involved in this like we were like told but we weren't asked for input which is very different. I think there's a lot of alumni that feel a lot of pride and I know some people are like why can't we keep the Warriors so like they must have missed the
180whole memo that we can't do that but um you know the tide you know the background and I I've been listening to a lot of people I think it's unfortunate that we find ourselves in this situation having the conversation where some of the kids are really hyped for the name some kids are really upset about the name and maybe to Leslie's point it could have been slower the the community at whole. I know some people are saying they didn't know about the vote. Um to Dr. Talbert's point, like an email went out, but like who's on the email? Like the community members aren't in the email. Um I'm just I'm concerned that the the history about it, but I'm really concerned for the students having to deal with that because kids do stuff like that.
181I don't think I want to put any student in that position. Yeah, go ahead. I was going ahead, Dr. So, thank you so much for your feedback, but I do want to correct that the newspaper was not um notified before the vote, not by the district. Anyway, I do want to also reiterate that the board of ed was not just told about the process for the mascot. The board of ed was informed and the board of ed was invited to the forum that was held here in this very room. Our board president came and she was able to give her feedback at that meeting as well. Um, you were also informed prior to the vote in my superintendent's report. I informed everyone where we were going. You had my timeline. We said we needed to
182ensure we finish everything by the end of April so that we can prepare to order uh for the 2526 school year. Imagery has to be removed. Imagery has to be replaced. Plans have to be made so that effective July 1, we would be in compliant with New York State. I regret and apologize if anyone feels that they were not properly notified. That was not the intent to keep the board out of the loop by any means. My intentions were to be communicative um and to share the process as we moved along. I I think maybe there was a misunderstanding. I was just saying that News Day picked up on the story, right? You saw that there was a News Day article. So, what I'm saying is News A has the article, but we didn't even
183vote on it or discuss it yet. So, I think that's unfortunate. Like, this announcement is out there um right now. And, you know, it's one thing to be informed about something, but it's another thing to collaborate or have a discussion about it. I don't think I think that's the piece that was missing. Um, so I do think that, you know, we probably have to discuss this more. Megan, do you have to say anything then? Um, well, it sounds like we're going to need to discuss this further. I, um, you know, it's almost 10:45. Um, you know, as far as the community input goes, there probably could have been a way to wait the community feedback on the initial survey in with the student vote at the end. Um, you know, just like the younger kids
184were sort of weighted in that they were just one class vote. They weren't like individual votes. Um, so regardless, I mean, it's we're here and I guess we need to set another meeting. No, we I think we I think we need to decide it tonight. So therefore, tonight because why hold on to it to to the next meeting? You know what I mean? So, at least for tonight, we weren't voting on No, we're not we're not voting on it, but I'm just saying that as a board as we're discussing it, it would be beneficial to really think about what direction we want to go because at the next meeting on the 22nd, we're going to have to make a decision. And the decision would be either to accept what was presented to us from the
185students or or the board can make overrule all of that and make a decision that they're going to just go with a with another name. So we don't we don't have the time to go back out for another survey or anything like that. We would just have to make our own decision of if we want to go with the tie for example. I don't know. Go ahead. Okay. But if we're going to meet again on the to finalize the transportation referendum, could we not just continue this discussion? Well, I'm waiting to see what the outcome was with with the numbers and then we'll be able to say that as well. But for transparency sake, I do think it has to be at a regular meeting to allow the community and residents and alumni to come
186and talk or more students. So, I do think that um I know we might have another meeting. I wouldn't recommend voting it on it there. I would recommend voting it on a regular meeting just for transparency. So, um the it is on the April 22nd um agenda for for a vote. And all I'm just saying is that as a board of education, either we can accept what was recommended to us by the students and what they voted on or the board of education does have the ability to not accept what they have presented to us and accept a different name. So we can have more discussion on it, but if the board decides that they don't want to accept the name that was presented by the students and then go with another name, then that
187would be the choice. And um I I just want to also say that and maybe everyone perceives it a little bit differently, but I I feel as if there was communication that occurred at a board meeting in regards to the mascot. We as a board did have an opportunity to speak up, to ask questions, to put our point out at at that point in time, and that was a survey result that that came back. Um I also feel as if there was a concern that maybe there was not enough of a response then we as a board should have spoke up at that time and said let's do another survey. Let how did the survey go out if it was on the website if that was not enough if it was if it was sent
188out to different interest groups in the community. I'm just saying hypothetically maybe we have to broaden it. What I find sort of um what I think is really unfortunate is that um the community alumni I'm an alumni of the school. My dad was an alumni of the school as well. I think what's unfortunate is that when all this was coming out and we were doing the initial conversation about it, it's like no one on social media really picked it up to to kind of talk about it. it wasn't until every everything came out. So, I think that's the other part that's just sort of a little bit disheartening that um it was on social media once they um everything the announcement was made, but there was even we were in the news about the mascot
189and the Warriors and and whatnot. So, that's just my point. It's just kind of disheartened that it took a name change to occur before it got picked up. And we did have a meeting here where there was a couple of alumni that did come to the meeting. There was um a graduate I don't know what year he was. I don't maybe I don't know what year 1930 whatever that he was here and he came with information about you know what he had. So I'm so we're at the point now where as a board of education that we have to make the decision. I just think it's unfortunate that we had our students who who voted on it. We can all say, we may say that maybe they didn't have enough information. Maybe they did have
190enough information. Maybe it maybe it should have been more alumni that came in to speak to the students to tell them what different names meant. So therefore, maybe they could have had a better understanding as they voted. So, we're at the point now we just need to decide as a board when we get to that meeting on the 22nd either accept what was presented to us by the students and or make a decision to go with another name which I'm assuming would be the tide. So, go ahead Carol. Well, can I just respond? So, when you you mentioned that we we got the information we get it in a superintendence uh presentation. No, it was presented at a board meeting, right? But it was at the end at like this time at night. Um, so
191to say like, oh well, we didn't think at that time like, well, did it go out to enough people and like why didn't we say something? And it's, you know, I think that that goes to the value of actually have had a board member on the task force so that they would have been, you know, more ingrained in the process. Um it's really hard to think on the fly at that point of the night to say, "Oh, well, did enough community members see the post?" You know, as an example. No, and I I do understand what you're saying, but I think also that we do a great job in communication and email, so I think it should it could have even come out then. But to the point, let's just move forward. It's just a
192matter of where we're at right now is that we just have to make a decision on that 27. Right. Right. But is is it we don't accept like we choose the mascot like so before or do we vote again? So I just want to give Carol an opportunity to to I'm just kind of going down the line. So so in speaking with a lot of colleagues and parents and community members I believe that the missing link was that our students were not informed voters especially the elementary grades. It was strictly voted. At no time was any information, any history, any teachable moment provided to the students so they could make a relevant vote, an informed vote. And moving forward, that's what I would like to see because I know on an elementary level, the teachers
193just showed pictures and that's how they voted. There was absolutely no history provided um of the district and I really believe that would have gone a long way in making a better choice. Thank you Caroline. No, it's just a question. I don't know what on the 22nd do we vote to accept Fox or are we voting to choose our own mascot just the seven of us or are we putting it out for another vote? Are those like what are our choices on the 22nd? So um I I believe we have a I believe and you can correct me um Dr. Talbet. I believe Dr. Talbet had said earlier that by the end of April that they have to start with the process of removing um imagery and and ordering things. So go ahead Dr. Talbert
194just for clarification and then we'll answer your question Caroline. Well, everything has to be removed by June 30th. And so we were trying to move proactively that as we remove, we're also making plans to replace so that July 1, we would have everything in place and ready to move forward. How fast could we do another vote? Oh, I'm not sure. If the board would like to give me the order in which you would like it done, then we can just walk it out. I think that's so complicated because we have children involved and the children all I I I absolutely see every point of view on this but we went like these children it it's complicated. I don't really know what the answer is but we had a school community involved. The children were excited
195about this. The children announced it. It is kind of messy at this point and and that's that's why I just said I just kind of feel as if as a board of education that we would have to I don't think we should go back out for another survey. I don't think we should go back out for another vote. I think we want to change it then we as a board would have to make that decision. That's just my perspective perspective to to change it because that's just me. So we just need to hear from the board. What do you want to do? Do you want to go? You know who? We're going to survey the students again. We're going to survey. No, I'm I'm I'm not suggesting another survey. Just a vote. That's what I'm
196saying. Go ahead. I'm inclined to do another vote if it's feasible. If it's not feasible, then we have to decide whether to mean vote by the students. I get no communitywide because that's part of the problem that the community felt excluded. So I like it was a lot of work to you know inform the community survey the community and then present it was only four choices right am I remembering that correctly at the end to okay so go back out with those four choices to everyone to the community the students how fast could that happen I don't think there's enough time to get the full um net of who would actually want their voice heard. Like yes, you'll see people on social media putting their opinion out, but that doesn't really capture everybody that has
197a passionate view on it. And it also doesn't speak to Carol's point, which is totally valid. You know, kids as uninformed voters, it takes time to inform them. So that's why this is hard. Well, I think one other thing, too, is you know, what do what is if we get do another survey, what is the message to the kids? really we don't you're we don't like the outcome of what you decided so we're actually going to do this again like you know there's act like we're in an educational setting so I think we have to be really careful of that we had three young ladies come up and that's true I know it's so complex I know that's what changed it for me yeah when they said well how many how many signatures are on
198that petition all right so can I can I make a recommendation to the board of education it is now 11:55 I think everyone everyone has had an opportunity to speak on this. We're not going to vote on it tonight. We need to think about it. And what we need to think about is I'm sorry, 10:55. Um, sorry, I can't even see. So, um, what we have to decide is not right now and we may just have to go ahead and just arbitrarily just make the decision on our own. Any other old and new business? One very quick thing, not to discuss, but to just put out there for uh whoever it is to figure it out. Can we auction or donate any of the Warrior logo stuff that we're going to be getting rid of?
199I don't think are we allowed to do that? No. Or can we give it to an organization so they can fund raise for it? I don't think we can. I think the answer the recommendation was against that, right? because the state of New York has determined that to be discriminatory. Yeah. So, we'll just do dispose of assets. All right. Um any We're going to do committee input on on non-aggenda item. Yeah. Hold on a second. Are we setting a meeting for the transportation referendum? I wanted to kind of allow the community to come up and and do their say and then you going to do that after? Yeah. Yeah. And then we can go from because I'm I'm not too sure what the outcome was with with that. So let let the community come up
200and have their say and then we could I have I'm sorry I don't want to interrupt but like old new business. Does anyone have any other old Yeah. Okay. I do. Um I I want to talk about the internal auditor. Um I had referred to the forensic audit that we had done last year. And for those of you who weren't here or don't remember, last year we paid $18,000 for a forensic auditor to come in and review our books and determine how it was that we we ran up a $3.5 million deficit in the 2022 2023 year. I was not on the board at that time, but I found the report to be incredibly informative and helpful to understanding, you know, the mechanics of district finances. When I joined the board last summer, I've learned
201that there's three auditors that we meet with regularly or should. Our uh claims auditor, we don't meet with, but we see their reports every month um making sure that our purchases are reconciled with our purchase orders. We meet with our external auditor twice a year. Alan U comes every July and November to make sure that our financial statements are in compliance and that we're not cooking the books. And we're not. And that's great to know. Um, but until very recently, I had no idea what the internal auditor was doing. I hadn't seen a report. I didn't know what they were looking on. Um, and it just seemed like this is the sort of thing we should know. So, I reached out to them directly, got the most recent report and found it's a lot like
202the forensic audit. It gives you a lot of important information. It's full of um it shows us where our risk levels are high, recommendations uh for improvement, and status updates on previous recommendations. I bring all this up because you would think that a district that's in as much fiscal trouble as we are in that they would be very attentive to the internal audit. We're already paying for it, but we're not paying attention to it. Other districts meet regularly with their internal auditors. We don't. We meet regularly with our external auditor but not the internal. Our corrective action plan was due uh it is due in April but we haven't seen it. It could be that you know there's areas for improvement that we don't know about because we're not reading the reports. Or it could
203also be that we are doing everything we possibly can and it's still not enough. And to circle back to what I said earlier, if it's the case that we're doing as much as we possibly can and it's still not enough, then we need to be having another conversation. One of the key points of the forensic audit from last year was that in 2022 2023, the process for senior management advising the board on fiscal matters was completely ineffective. You would think that we'd be doing better now, but I would say based on the state of where we stand now with our budget being so far off from where we need to be, the board, you know, asking for information and having a hard time getting it, only getting budget presentations the day of and the fact
204that we still haven't seen the internal audit that was completed last year. We're not following through on the recommendations of the forensic audit. And this time a year ago, I was sitting in the audience listening to the forensic auditor thinking we got to do better. Now I'm on the other side thinking we still got to do better. Um, at a minimum I'm asking that we pay attention to our internal auditor, make time for them. I I would have hoped this month because apparently this report's due this month, but very very soon. Bring them in here and let's see what they're working on. Yeah, the the internal auditor came in last year around I think May or June. They came in and presented to the board of education. So, um any other comm any other comments
205about internal external and go ahead Dr. Talbert. Your your points are certainly well taken and I hope we are having an audit committee meeting soon. But I do want to let you know that the administrative team has been working diligently on the internal audit recommendations and the uh the corrective action plan is going home to the board on Friday or it really could be sent home tomorrow. uh we were taking another final look through uh the responses, but internally we've been putting processes in place addressing their concerns. Have we been able to hit a 10 on all of those recommendations? Not by any means, but are we putting processes in place? Yes. And the corrective action plan will detail that out for you. So we can get that out to the board um tomorrow actually
206unless we want to take another one more look at it and then send it out. Yes. So I although the board may not have been directly involved in the preliminary work. Usually the administrative teams are involved in the work and then we produce it to the board. After the board reviews it we have conversation dialogue make whatever changes and then it's submitted. But I that's one of the main points of the forensic audit that the board was kept in the dark too long relative to the 3.5 mil deficit three years ago. And the audit report that I got, you know, that was dated October. So I'm assuming that was sent to you in October and that was just the risk analysis report. Didn't h it didn't require anything of you other than forwarding it to
207the board. Like we could have seen it in October and just been aware. um as a new member it would have given me more to read to understand you know what's going on and I I believe it was in January two years ago that you approved the corrective action plan for the prior year. So like I understand it takes time but there's no reason why we couldn't have had that information in October. So, we can handle that. And we've said this repeatedly, like it took us so long to finally get status appropriation update reports. Like, even if it's not finalized because there's outstanding expenses, whatever, we're capable of being in the loop. We we know we have to make big cuts. You know, it to find out only today, these are the cuts that you
208propose two weeks before the budget's due. It just feels like we're in the dark until the last minute. So, um it's already been pointed out that that's an area that needs improvement. And I I think we can all agree that, you know, we should aim to do better. And I appreciate you agreeing with that. Yeah, your point is well taken. And I will say that cuts are ongoing and so there's no intent to present something to the board at the last minute. There's continual decisions and cyclical work taking place around the clock. And it has changed each time we meet and present it to the board. We agree, we disagree, we deliberate, we go back, we bring those changes. Um, we're not always able to bring the changes back in 24 hours. It takes time.
209And so today, we addressed the $2 million elephant in the room with our recommendations of how that can be cut. The $3 million cuts were presented back in March. The $1.3 million cuts were presented some time ago as well. And so now we've been asked to put all of those cuts together and show the board comprehensively where we are. And we will do that. Thank you. Community input or non-aggenda items. Please come to the mic and just state your name. Thank you. Cheryl Quint best. I don't know if I should say good night or good morning. I've been up almost 19 hours now. So, forgive me if I'm not politically correct or I've missed um a few things. But what I'm sitting here feeling is that we're doing the right things, but we are not
210taking the action or taking note or taking owners and responsibility. How could it be that administration went about deciding, okay, this is how we're going to get a new mascot and so on and it goes to the board and one board member attends and then we're sitting here now saying, "Oh, we didn't know this was going to happen and we didn't know we're going to vote for it now." I don't understand that. I don't understand that. That's the board's responsibility. It looks like we're trying to get out of the hole that we have found ourselves in, but guess what? It looks like we're going to go right back into it. That's what I'm feeling. And like I said, I've been up 19 hours, so I'm not at my most eloquent. Now, this is a start
211reminder that we need to make sure that what we found ourselves in, we are not going to continue to be in. We all have to look diligently at our email, our text, whatever it is. Do not expect someone to come and say, "Hey, don't forget you have to do this. Don't forget you're doing that." My principal doesn't say that of me. I have deadlines to meet. The email come the email come. The email come. I can't go to her and say, "Oh, you didn't send it to me. I don't remember reading it. That was too long ago." We're finding frivolous excuses. We're finding frivolous excuses. And I'm fearing that as board members come and board members go, we're going to be back at square one. Miss Buati, I want to say thank you very much.
212You have delved very deeply into our finances and if we are not all accountable even community members what we've found we're going to find ourselves repeating again and again transportation if we sit here and decide oh we can extend it we can do half a mile a quarter mile one way two ways we're going to dig a deep hole that we cannot get out of because I promise you if I have a grandchild and that grandchild wants to travel 20.5 miles then I'm going to go to the records and say but nobody followed the referenda you know I want my grandchild to go 20.5 miles it's only 0.5 miles it's only $400,000 have we looked at what $400,000 means in terms of where we are struggling how to break even. We are struggling to get
213back on track. That's maybe taking what? Three teachers away. Is it okay to take three teachers away and have a bus taking two children 20 miles away? Have we thought about it? We talk about the education and the importance of education, but we spend two hours talking about transportation adding an additional $400,000. Let's be realistic. So, Miss Bess, I'm going to ask you to wrap up your your point because yes, I'm going to let's remember we're talking about the education of our future of our future generation and the children to come. And let's also remember that when you find yourself in debt, you do not get out of debt overnight. And this is not like selling your car and selling your house and scaling down. We're talking about the lives of children. We're talking about
214education. Have a very good night. Thank you. Thank you. You just have to pause that. Um, Lynn, the time Good evening, members of the board of education. Um, I have a number of things I would like to discuss, but tonight I'm just going to keep it strictly to the mascot. Um, those of you that served on the board with me know how adamant I was about keeping the Warriors. Um, I didn't see any particular nexus or anything wrong with the word warriors. Um, no, there was no uh Native American. A warrior is a fighter. It's not necessarily a Native American. And and if you look back at the 1960 yearbook that another individual from the community brought up in 1960, it had the word warriors on it with a Spartan wearing a helmet with a
215spear. So, the warrior has always been a fighter, not particularly associated with the Native American. Either way, understanding this that the courts in New York ruled against the school districts that tried to fight this ban and right now there's no clear answer um if it will ever be reconsidered. In that case, Amityville has always had an unofficial name, the Tide or the Crimson Tide. If this name were to be selected, it would comply with New York State and it would allow the community to retain some kind of heritage. This is why yesterday, less than 24 hours ago, I started a small petition which has gained 166. I actually think it's up to 170 votes right now asking for our school district to increase community and alumni input and obtain well, I'm not sure about this,
216but get more community input. And one of the points that was brought up was that a lot of our younger students in preK and kindergarten, I can appreciate the fact that they voted and and this is theirs. I I I get that. Okay. Both of my kids were that age at one point. And I'm not so sure if either of my kids would have picked the tide either. I mean, looking at the pictures, like like Miss Seahhoff said, the the Hawk was a very compelling pitcher. It really was. So, I I can appreciate the process, but I'm not sure if they really understood um what what they were choosing or why they had to choose it, why why the Warriors was being replaced. So, that that's a question that the school board and the district
217needs to tackle. But, so my my recommend Well, I have two questions. So my first question is I'm sorry. Let me go back for a second. With those three students that showed up and they discussed why the majority of the middle school students picked this as as a joke almost as a sexual reference. There is no way that we can approve that. Right? So I have a daughter that's going to be in the middle school very very soon. And what about all of our daughters or all of our children that are going to go away and and verse other teams in sports? Are they going to have these sexual references uh you know talked about? I I know you're trying to get me off the mic. I I know what you said, but this is
218very serious. This is very serious though. Um you know, to the point that we cannot allow this to happen. Um Miss Johnson, let me ask you this. Would you would you entertain a motion tonight to vote no for the Hawks? Um, Mr. Leon, not tonight because it's not on the agenda tonight to vote. So, it's on the agenda for April 22nd. I just asked you to wrap up your comments so therefore everyone else behind you can have an opportunity to speak. Thank you. Good evening, Nikia Wolf, 100 Avalon Court, Melville. Um, I don't really want to take too much time as it relates to the uh to the mascot and all the rest of that stuff. I just want to basically just reiterate the facts. Uh, first and foremost, when the community had an opportunity,
219um, I don't know how far ranging or how far reaching that, uh, survey went. Um the tide was the tide was number one. Um when the forum or when the committee was actually established and it was uh put forth that we wanted to get student um student input and that you know they're the ones who are on the fields, they're on the courts, they're the ones who are going to be carrying those names. Uh that was really the main uh point as to why it is that we felt that the students should have a voice. um when the students did get an opportunity to do this, it wasn't that they were just presented with names. They were presented with names that had descriptions. Now, if you want to argue the fact that maybe there wasn't
220enough history um maybe the history that we gave was not enough um that was provided was not enough and there needed to be uh further opportunities, then that should have been something that was discussed as far as what our charge was. Um Amityville Tide, the tide represents an unstoppable force. Tides have an overwhelming strength that are power uh and are a power to be reckoned with. The AMDville football team adopted this unofficial name under uh coach Lou Howard in the 1950s Cardinals. There's a brief description of that. Brief description also of Amityville Storm and also for um Amityville Hawks. Right? So I would go through all of that, but I don't really have enough time. What I'm saying is is that if you want to be the adults in a room and say that because
221of the negative connotation that goes along with hawks that it's not a it's not appropriate um and you want to say that you don't want to move forward with that then that's fine but Hawks was number two. I mean Hawks was one, Storm was number two, Cardinals was three and Tide was last. So to eliminate the first one and go with the and go with the last one wouldn't be acceptable either. So either you go and you do the vote again and um you give people more than and you give people more time. Maybe you give maybe the voting goes through over the course of a week. Um that's also an option. Uh providing more of a historical um information for students to make a to make a decision. Uh, I think those those are
222probably the only other things, but to say no to one and then pick the one that they want at least, you might as well have just gone what the community won in the first place. And by the way, um, at some point in time, Tide didn't have a long stay, not because it was changed to Warriors. I mean, it was changed before. So, just because we don't like this, it doesn't mean that there's not an alternative. um if the students or if we find a different way to make sure that um everybody's voice is heard that would be more beneficial. And I didn't even get to transportation. I just hope that we do it equitably and I hope that we don't um if we're doing it equitably, we shouldn't be taking away from the students
223who are in public school and expanding their mileage um expanding their minimal amount of mileage that it's that they're going to have to uh be applicable to them for them to get transportation while extending it for private schools. Everybody has uh community members should have choice. Um we're in this situation because it had to be brought up. um in public. I guess it probably could have had more discussion in historical context in executive session. Um but I hope that some uh that there's going to be some equitable solution to that where all of our students get the transportation that they deserve today. Thank you. Good evening. My name is Sydney Martin 5 place. I I just want to put a few things out to you guys about transportation. Um, a lot of the parochial schools
224have their own buses and I know where I worked their buses picked up kids at the railroad, the closest railroad. So, we could front end the problem or backend the problem where if you lived and you went to Amityville High School, you would have to walk the mile and a half. So if they met at a central location, say the kids got picked up at Amityville Railroad and then went to St. Dominic's or Shamina, it would cut the distance. So you could frontload that way or if there's a nearer train station to the schools. Our bus can pick up and take them to the train station and then most of the parochial high schools, they pick up from the trains and bring them to the high schools. So that's that's something I'm throwing out there.
225But I then I heard that the RFP that was put out there was no mileage put. So whether it's 15 miles or 17.9, what I heard that shouldn't even come into play because they're they're making a bid on the RFP, not 15 miles or 20 miles. So what I heard is it shouldn't matter. Thank you. Margaret Amnville. Um, I brought this up several times, um, probably in the last six months or so. Um, this lovely lady in the corner with the, um, device for translation. I wanted to know um I've asked this question again, not really got a good answer thus far is what steps have you taken to let people know that this lovely woman is here every board meeting and sitting there with not one person utilizing the oh two two women thank
226you uh utilizing the devices because I'm thinking that they probably just don't know about it. So, I'd like some kind of feedback on what you what steps you've taken and I'd like to see it posted on every agenda saying we have translation devices available to you. Please show up. Please hear your voice. What say you? Um, it it is on there. That's number one. Number two, when the notification goes out. I'm sorry. I am so sorry. Yeah. When and also see that. I apologize. That's okay. And also when the notification goes out, it goes out and and it gets translated out as well. So, so it gets translated out there's a board meeting. So when when the message goes out to the parents? I apologize. I did not see I was not expecting it to
227see that in that location. But is it on the website like next to the agenda and everything else? Yes, it's also it's also on the website in both English and Spanish. And then it's also there's also ability to translate anything into a different and to another language. No, that I I know that every document comes in both languages. I just wanted to know that a that it was really communicated out to the commu school community that the parents know that they can speak at a meeting because they'll have a translation device. Thank you. You're welcome. Thank you. And also when it comes to all this communication of out to the community, out to the school community and so on and so forth, a really good video could solve everything because social media will solve everything.
228You show the video in school, you show it in every smartboard, you show it into the social media and you could have all the information in one clip and everybody would be informed. And you ask your partners, whoever can do it, to send out a video. All the options for the name of the mascot could have been displayed present like in a great shape and display and everyone would have understood had had you could had one of the Howards talk about how it was the tide and how this was something else and you went through the whole routine and one video clip in maybe three minutes could have solved all of this lack of communication. Thank you. Hi everyone, my name is Danielle DC. I'm a resident and I am also a local business owner
229in the community. For the record, I didn't hear anything about being able to contribute my opinion about the mascot, but that's not why I'm standing here tonight. Recently, it came to light publicly that there's a social media closed hate group that fosters bullying, including bullying of sitting members of the board of education. And some of the members that were exposed as group community members are sitting members and candidates for the board of education. So I would like to know and I have been victimized and featured in this hate group as well as people that I know within the community as well as sitting on the board tonight. So I would like to know as board of education. This is a very serious topic bullying throughout the schools especially and throughout the community to foster community.
230I would like to know how the board of education and the supervisor is addressing the topic of bullying and being an upstanding citizen to speak up against hatred instead of fostering and facilitating and inviting members of the board of education to invite all of their friends and family to think it's very funny to bully members of the community as well as board members of the board of education because it's actually very upsetting. dangerous and concerning. Thank you so much for um providing this information. I think it's the the the issues with social media. Social media I I believe has affected every single board member that's sitting here. We have all we have all been um addressed or attacked in in some type of way. So, thank you for bringing it to our attention. And the
231best way to stop it, we don't have any control over what people put on social media. We don't have any control of and and legal can correct me. I don't we don't have any control on what someone does who's a sitting board member. Um when they're sitting board member in terms of um you know what they're affiliated with and and if I'm wrong, I'm wrong. Please correct me. legal. We can ask board members not to participate in certain things, but I I don't think we have any hold or any legal way to say that someone can't do something. And if I'm wrong, please correct me. No, no, you're correct in the district policies on bullying relate to students. I'm sorry. If someone if someone Go ahead, say it in the district's policies concerning DASA and
232bullying relate to students. It's a student policy. So what what is that policy? It's it's it relates to students. So I know that as a policy committee we were we were going to look at um issues relating to to bullying as well. So it didn't So right now that doesn't apply to administrators either. No, currently right now um there's a policy that's connected to students. I know that we're looking at that I believe we're looking at that as a policy committee something that we have brought up from the past. So yes. Um thank you. So I still have that time, right? Um yeah. So, it could be extraordinarily embarrassing if a news outlet such as like News12 or the news found out about the video of the members that participate and facilitate including candidates as
233well as sitting members including social workers within the school district. Okay. So, by name and thinking that it's funny and sharing and inviting. So, it could be including on the APC. So it's actually like systemic and perpetual and supported. So it could be extraordinarily like egg on the face for this school district. And I want to know proactively what are you going to do about it to combat this? Because if it doesn't happen at this level of adulthood, it will trickle down and be facilitated throughout the entire school because it's happening throughout the entire facility of including social workers and board members. So we we thank you so much for the information. We we will look into it and see what I have a lot of evidence if you want to see it directly so
234that maybe you can have a more informed decision. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for your time. Kirk Hermy uh Ocean Avenue in Amityville. I have the uh the fortune to have two sons that have both attended public schools within the Amityville school district and also have attended Brookfield schools. uh one of them is currently at Luhigh uh and receives busing transportation to and from uh and we've made the decision uh prior to April 1st and submitted transportation that next year he's going to be attending Shamanad High School. Uh so again this was made with the understanding that there was going to be transportation. There have been transportation for numerous years and this has obviously come to quite a shock to my family that this is being considered. Uh in looking at this and
235we've looked at several options where there are parts of the district that have direct routes to Shamanad that are less than 15 miles. Uh, Northwest High School, which could be a a central collection point is 14.9 miles with a direct route to Shamanad High School, which means that it's within the 15 mile range. And now that the services have been provided for years to both Luhigh uh to Shamanad and St. Dominics that that actually falls within the three-year limit of services being prior provided to for which means that it's at the board's discretion as to whether to continue to provide services and that could be offered annually. And I know we said, okay, it's going to be $400,000 a year, but if there's a central collection point, it won't be nearly that much because there'll
236be much shorter routes. There'll only be one pickup point directly to and from the schools. And again, as we see how that impacts the schools later on, we'll also be able to have students at those schools and their families make decisions year on year out, understanding that there is no guarantee that there will be public transportation uh to and from schools. So again, I know there might be some additional information coming within the next few minutes. Um, but I think that we should consider whether this already is being in place and that really could just be a board decision versus going to a recommend. Thank you. You're welcome. I think that um also and legal can jump in because it's been late. I know that um that question was posed earlier this evening about um
237Northwest being a central location and I believe legal already addressed it and said that it cannot be a central location that it has to be um the student has to be coming from has to be a starting point from someone's house. So that was one and then also to that um oh well there is a student that's within close proximity again I don't have privy to right but I think I think also what they had also looked at it's it's not just one so for each school that requires transportation there has to be one student that is like the the anchor person that has to be within that 15 miles so it's not like there is let's say hypothetically so if there's one student that lived over by Northwest hypothetically and they're at 14.9 miles.
238Um it does not mean that St. Dominic's Charminad and all the other private schools would be able to get a bus because of that one student who's at 14.9 miles that goes to Luhigh. It means that each each school has to have one student. Yeah, that that goes that way. And I know there was a point that was brought up before about I think like going to the railroad station, but I think it goes back to the same thing that it has to be from the student's house and not from a central location with within the district, right? If there's one student that's within the 15 miles, then that creates the anchor for that school, right? And then therefore, you could use a central point. If that service has been provided for the past three
239years or at least one year within the past three years, then that continued to be provided at the board's discretion. And I believe at least for Shamanad there's one student that's within that 15 mile. Right. And so I I think legal the clarification was that. Go ahead. So in terms of the district looked into that and found that no students were 15 mile for any of the for any of the three years in the last seen last year again I guess I've seen I don't have I don't have obviously individual uh addresses of all the students that live within this district but again I believe that there's this student within two blocks of Northwest High School or Northwest Elementary School again and then again more information coming. Thank you. Good evening again, Juan Leon. I
240I'm not going to be using the full duration of my time. Um, I just wanted to say that I do have this uh petition that I would like to give to the clerk and for the board and your consideration um with this mascot and the the uh decision that you will have to make. Also too, I heard a lot about social media not being utilized to its full capacity to reach out to some of our um alumni or some of our community members. For what it's worth, it's not a scientific poll. I put up a poll uh for 24 hours, got about 50 votes, and it's non-scientific, but the top the top uh vote getter was tied by 65%. Again, it's not scientific. It is what it is. I'd like to hand this to your
241clerk. And one question I have, and it's it's a possible solution. I just don't know if it's doable. Okay, May 20th is election day, right? We're going to have a number of community members and alumni coming into Northeast and also the high school to vote. And I I don't know if this is something you could ask legal or whatever. I really would like to hear the answer to this. Is there some kind of mechanism? It doesn't have to be a proposition on the ballot, but can we use some kind of mechanism so that when someone walks out and say, "Hey, you just finished voting. Would you like to vote um on on what you think the next mascot should be as as a community member, as a taxpayer, as an as a member of um
242possibly an alumni?" So, is that something that could be possible? I I think anything is possible, but one of the things that Dr. to tell mentioned earlier is that um the need to start the process as soon as possible to change out our current um logo that we have and um the only concern would be we did that on on May 20th. Everything has to be completed by June 30th. So it may not allow enough time in order to get the input in like you're suggesting at at the election. So, Mi Miss Johnson, I I I can appreciate that, but reading when I read more into it, and again, maybe this is a question for legal. When I read more into it, my understanding is that New York State is not going to penalize a
243district that is making forward progress that is trying to sol resolve this. We're not going against them with regards to changing our mascot. We just hit a little hiccup and we think that maybe the best way is to ask the voters when they come in to vote. I mean, can can legal pos give some kind of opinion on that? I know that New York State wants to see that a school district is actively engaging in making changes to whatever they have in the in their district. So the question would be what will they consider in terms of actively engaging? Does that mean that we've made a decision and we're we're in the process of removing and we're not removed everything? I'm not too sure exactly what that is. So I'm no I don't know Mrs.
244Gene if you have anything to add to it or you're not too sure. If not, we will clarify that that information. As far as I know, they haven't made any written exceptions to the deadline. the deadline and the deadline they have said certain things about action they may take or not take I haven't seen any specific changes to the in writing to the deadline so by June 30th we have to we have to be actively in the process of removing everything that's the deadline okay if if I may add and I have 10 seconds yeah go ahead our district has been removing the Native American with the with the headdress and feathers years before the state or anyone else asked us to. So we have been making forward progress for years. Thank you. Quick just
245want to clear something up Robert Paresi St. Um because just a little confused with the numbers to go back to my parents with um in the letter it says or the mileage from my school prek to two but in the referendum I believe it says K to three. It's un what am I telling them is because they have there's a letter out there that says prek to two half a mile 3 to six one mile 6 to 12 1.5 and then the referendum is K to 3 half a mile 4 to 6 1 mile 7 to 12 1.5 go Dr. T. So, we'll clear it up as it stands tonight. What you have in the letter has been a longstanding practice by which transportation has been provided by these parameters. We have since then discovered
246a referendum that the voters passed in 1995 and the mileage is different from what is stated in the letter. So, I would advise allowing me a few days to ensure that the proposition is the one we're going to move forward with to make sure there is not another because we found one in 1968. We found something else in between. We found this in 1995. And we just want to uh finish going through the last little bit of information we have left and then we'll put the stamp on it to let you know exactly which one. But as of tonight, it would be a half mile for K through three, a mile for four to six, and a mile and a half for 7 through 12. Okay. Because that's not what the letter says. No. What
247did you say? It's not what the letter says that we're It's not what the letter says. So, I'm not we're not going by the letter, right? So, see how quickly it changed, right? So, that's why I'm saying give me support. I just want to be able to go back without me getting yelled at. I want to be able to go back to them. I understand. Okay. And I'll I'll keep you in the loop. Thank you very much. Appreciate it. Good night. Good night. Um, do we have any update on Dr. TA? Do we have any update on transportation numbers or do we need to look at this a little bit further and meet again? That's my question. In terms of transportation numbers, uh, Mr. Spence, do you have anything that we need to meet again?
248It's so late. I would love, but we should not go with the 20 miles. What was the question? I wasn't fully paying attention. So, that's okay. It's only 11:30. John John just um Mr. Sheen just handed me something that has 17 miles in it. So, this is something that was been looked at and so uh Mr. Spence uh looked at the distance between the three schools and uh the nearest student that would serve as an anchor. The schools I use northwest as the but each of but so so we looked at and also the distance between the schools and northwest. So my understanding, correct me if I'm wrong, uh the distance between Northwest and the schools, um that longest distance is 17 miles. Yes. And there is an anchor student for each of the schools
249within that 17 mile limitation. That is also correct. So that's why 17 is listening and we're confident with this number. 17's the magic number. I'm just reporting. Okay, Mr. Spence, are you confident that 17 miles or would you prefer to have more time? It would be preferable to have more time, but if we want to put it through tonight, I would feel comfortable with 17. board members, when are we going to do you want to meet again on this? Because if if this proposition has to be on the military ballot, I think that if we're 100% confident that the three schools would encompass an anchor student, I would be okay with it. But so the community understands, the board of education is not saying we are changing the mileage. What we are saying is we
250will put it on the ballot and you decide. The voters come out and decide whether you want to support it or not. So, we're just saying we put it on the ballot. So, it's very very clear. That's okay. Board members. Leslie, do you want to go to 17? Yes. Chris? Yes. Wendy or spoke? Yes. Megan? Yes, Carol. Caroline. Yes. Yes. So, with that stated, do I now have to amend this resolution just to state that it'll be from up to 15 miles to 17 miles. And we don't one thing we don't know is the cost. The cost will be a little bit less be less than. No, because the cost the cost is dependent on those schools. Gotcha. And it's dependent on all students would simply have the transportation. So assuming that the cost be
251the same. So I would have to amend this resolution to state that it's from up to from up to 15 miles to up to 17 miles. Correct. There's a part of that resolution that refers to placing it in the annual uh notice uh and that's also do you have to read the entire resolution again? Can I ask a question about this resolution quickly? So if we have the 17 miles and we have an anchor student and there are say five other students, do they get picked up at their house or is it at a centralized location? They would be they would be transported um by either walking or by their parents to the centralized to the centralized. And do we know that the centralized location you're saying is northwest? Yes. They're saying it's northwest as
252a centralized location. So the parents would have to get their kids to Northwest to catch the bus. Wait, wait, wait. I'm just confused on that because I I I just thought it was just stated that we can't use Northwest as a central location. So that's northwest is within 17 miles. That's why that's why the 17 was selected. One student would get so each each school confused. Each each school would have an anchor student. So there's for each of the schools there is a student that is eligible for transportation within the 17 mile limitation. and northwest is 17 miles from each of the schools. The school can't be the anchor. You need a student to be the anchor in order to have the central pickup point. Okay. So my my confus that's why 17 is a
253magic number. So that's that's where my confusion came in because I thought that that that anchor student had to be the person that house that that was my confusion. There is an anchor per there is an anchor student for each of the schools within the 17 mile limitation. Okay. From starting from the house, but we can because of that we can now have a central location which would be they can pick be picked up which would be northwest and northwest is 17 miles from Okay. All right. So All right. So board members, do everyone understands clearly? I have a question about the wording of the prop here. We're going to hand it down. I have it in front of me. Yeah, but there's a couple things that are crossed out. That's I'm going to hand
254it down to you. The maybe I'm reading the wrong one. It It's the very It's the very last clause. It has nothing to do with the mileage. It's just the fact that the last clause, John, if you recall, and levy the necessary tax therefore, I feel like that would mislead a lot of people into thinking we're proposing to raise the tax levy, which we're not proposing to do. Correct. You are. You're you have to levy a tax for that purpose. I'm sorry, I I misspoke. We're not proposing to raise the tax cap. No. No. Okay. I think some people will interpret that clause to mean raise the tax cap. Therefore, my question is can does this proposal still hold water if you just strike out that final clause or do okay doesn't hold water that
255it's got that language has to be there. Okay. Because otherwise you can't raise a tax for it. Okay. Then people are going to misinterpret that and we have to be prepared for that. That can be clarified in Yeah. the the budget the budget newsletter. Got it. Okay. Right. So there can be something about that. Does Northwest have to be in here anyway? So does everyone understand? Everyone's clear down that way. Caroline, I I have a question. So we're going to do this and then Dr. Talbert with the new the budget newsletter and everything that goes out. We're going to do our best to explain this about the centralized location, right? like we'll try to push out the information so there's not uh misinformation being spread anywhere so everybody understands and the one anchor student gets
256picked up at their house and everybody else has to go to the so one person's got it good everybody else has to go to Northwest right I'm just saying yeah at least one one student right so the one student everybody else has it good and the rest have good okay got it thank you all right so as as we move forward does the board have any other questions on this at all. Any other question? Just say that when we explain it that it would end if there was no anchor student within the 17 miles, right? So it it's once that anchor student graduates then it only lasts for three years and then it goes away. Right. You need another prop. So go ahead. You don't know how many students will come in, right? There are
257students coming in every time there's a a new resident comes in. that that may be another anchor student that well if there was no anchor student within 17 miles in the future you don't know I don't know that I don't know that yes give you a hypothetical yes you are correct yes I think we need a transportation policy policy committee I think that might solve a lot if it's in writing but just to say like that was why I asked my question earlier we have a prop next year to go back to the 15 and service the kids who are the anchors and the three within the anchors. But then as soon as the pipeline is dry, that prop that got approved kicks into action and then it's done. Yeah, this is messy. I think
258that's a we just remember that's a it's a good point, but I don't think we have to decide that part today. So the qu Does the board want to vote on this at this point in time or do you want to process it a little bit more? Which means we have to we would have to meet again, but we just voted. No, we didn't vote yet. We just We're just Yeah, I didn't vote. I didn't do anything. I didn't Yeah, let's vote on it. I mean, I'd say vote on it. All right. So, um so everyone knows in the first paragraph it states from up to 15 miles to 17 miles. In the second paragraph, um, where it has the mileage, it says, and I'm going to kind of school year by increasing the maximum
259distance li limit for transportation from up to 15 miles to up to 17 miles from home to the school that legally attended at an estimated annual cost of $400,000. And I think Did you cross out the last line there? cross out the last line because that refers to the uh budget election notice. Okay. All right. And then in the proposition would state expansion of the school bus service for resident students in grades 7 to 12 attending secondary schools offering education through 12th grade effective at the beginning of the 202526 school year by increasing the maximum distance limit for transportation of up to 15 miles to a new maximum distance limit of up to 70 miles from home to the school they legally attend. which would result in estimated increase in annual expenditure by the district
260of $400,000. So I think it needs to be clear. It may say from home to the school, but remember that's only one anchor person does. It means that so I think that that has to be clearly explained that not everyone's going to be picked up from their home. They have to they have to go to that location of Northwest to get picked up. Yes. So anybody within the mileage limitation would have home to school. Anybody beyond the mile limitation that go to that same school would have to transport their child to the central pickup location. Does that need to be in the proposition? No, that's a matter of law. Again, you can put that in the budget newsletter. All right. It's really just their bus stop. All right. So, yep. Everyone's clear. You understand? I'll
261make a motion. I already have the motion from all those in favor. I I and I'm a no. So it passes for the proposition to go on the ballot. Can I have a motion to adjourn the meeting at 11:50? All those in favor? I um want to give that