001All those in favor? Okay. On to item F. Could I get a motion for item F in its entirety? >> A motion. >> Second. Any discussion? All those in favor. On to item G, reports. Student board member report. Um, I would say my other half is not here right now. She's at a game, so I wish her the best of luck. Um, but we are talking and we discussed that, you know, everybody was doing pretty good, getting settled in. Everybody's finding their classes pretty well, which is super nice because usually you have a few stragglers. So, it's super nice that everybody's finding their classes really well. Um, I would say that, you know, sports are going great. you know, football's starting up, so you know, last game was a little iffy, but you know, it's
002okay. We're gonna build on from there. Um, so we have homecoming coming up. Um, student government right now is planning that. Um, for timing wise, now that gymnastics is not there, we have a few extra minutes. So, we're going to try to get our teachers involved in more activities. Um, we have spirit weekdays. Um, the whole theme entirely is Toy Story. So, that's pretty nice. And I think >> the themes are pretty pretty relevant to everybody. You know, everybody can get involved super easily. So, that's really nice. And, um, our semiformal theme is Rio. So, hopefully that goes pretty well. That's all I have. >> Okay. So, the the question of the day is how's the cell phone policy thing working? >> Um, I was also talking Emma about that. I don't think it's been
003as bad as everybody thought it was. I think everybody's doing super well without their phones. I see kids are more interactive in class and getting along with their peers. Um I I've I mean I've had a few of those kids that don't like it, but they tolerate it. So I think overall it's been super well. >> Well, that to me that that's an indication of of the overall student body for a big change. That's a big change, right? and to have it go off flawlessly without without too many disruptions, I think is a is a testament to uh >> to you guys really. So, congratulations on that. >> Um board member report. The only thing that I have is I I'm going to send out questions. We have the new superintendent from um Ombosis coming
004in at our next meeting. So, I'll start the conversation. I'd like to get the questions ahead of time to him. So, he he'll be a little bit prepared. Um, I know to me my big theme is going to be strategic planning. You know, what what is he going to be doing stepping into the new role and then how that how that's going to be that and budget are going to be my two big things. But give it some thought. I'll pass it around. We'll get him in. We'll get them back to Pearl and get them out to him so he can uh be prepared. >> That's for city, right? >> Yeah. >> Yep. And then um that's really all I got. Anybody else got anything like to talk? >> I have one comment from um
005some of the students. some of the soccer players. Uh we're wondering if it would be possible to get the nets up that the lacrosse teams use so that they're not chasing soccer balls all the way across the track. I'm not sure if that's there's a reason that they're not used for soccer. Um and only used for lacrosse, but I promised that I would share that at the board meeting. Um >> there's a the big black you know what I'm talking about, right? the big black nets that go at the end of the fields so that the lacrosse balls don't go forever. Um the soccer teams were wondering >> um speaking of lacrosse is still happening right now. We still have practices. So it'd be nice for the lacrosse players to get our nets back. >>
006Yes. Um, so the middle school the there's an open house on the 16th next week's a week from tomorrow. Um, and then I just want to add that we had an open house the week uh before school and we handed out agendas and I just want to say that there was so many people there and it was lovely to see everyone finding their classrooms, everyone excited. The attendance was was just off the charts. So that was really really good to see for the middle school for sure things that I was going to talk about. But >> yeah, >> you want me to just jump in? I can answer that. >> Yeah, go ahead. >> Um, yeah, it's it's been phenomenal. It it's it's been phenomenal. Um, I always kind of just planned for the worst.
007And so Paul and I met down there with Aaron, um, and Jason Fellows, our new director of transportation, se several times. And the whole plan that we had was to eliminate the biggest problem that we've had, and that's the huge bus line of parents stuck in with the buses. Because at the end of the day, all of the buses take a right and head to the high school. All of the buses. And so when they get to the high school, they have to wait at least 12 minutes because the time differential between middle school and high school. So it doesn't really matter if they're waiting on that road to exit when all of the parents that are going down the new road. Some go to Anod County, but most go to the right. And that's
008okay. And the buses know to wait there. So, what that's done is it gets all of the cars out, which that in itself alleviated a lot of the issues. One of the things that I put myself in that spot um in that front loop on the first day is um you always plan for everything, but then you forget that there are parents dropping off their kids that are in sixth grade. And what they would do when they would bring their kids in fifth grade is they would pull up and they would sit for like five or ten minutes, not realizing that there's a whole line of cars backing up now, Route 11. So I very politely said, "This is just drop and go." And it you would think that I killed their dog that like
009I had to rush that part of it, right? But I get it. So once they once they dropped and went, it was it was fine. But I'm glad that I put myself there because I didn't want the DOT coming back to say you can't back up Route 11 like that. But now they know and we're actually having a sign that's something like drop and go and then you know you there's no idling here. Once we took care of that, it really fixed it. But I got to tell you, hats off to Paul Brassette and everything he's done down there with the construction crews because that's been great. Um, again, it's it's really it's terrible that it had to take a tragedy to get what 25 years um of different superintendents that have asked for, including
010myself, eight years ago, the um the blinking lights are up. The speed limit has been reduced to 30. And the only way they were to do that is to reduce from 45. So, it's 45, then it hits 40 because DOT said that they can't go less than a 10 mile differential. And I understand. So, then it's 30. the crosswalk and everything is in. So I just by having those ballers, the blinking lights, I've noticed cars, they recognize it and they slow down. Um so that's a good thing. So I'm happy with the traffic pattern. I'm happy that we finally got that other exit. Um there are some parents now that have been contacting me about getting a um similar situation, a crosswalk on Route 12 right here. Um but they're I they're working directly now
011these parents with um Mud Murphy who's on the board of trustees, the village trustees because we don't have the authority to do that. That actually is happening a year from now. There are big signs that are going to be going there that the village because we don't have authority on that road. So I just want to say that publicly that we're not disregarding any of that. We love feedback and we're working with the village to get those signs in I think this week, early next week, the latest, but then the crosswalk and everything will be the following year. So, that's good. >> You want just me to slide in, do my rest of my part or >> um are you going to talk about uh AA coal opening? >> I was going to talk about
012Yep. And I was going to talk about cell phone update as well and what I saw. >> Okay, perfect. Yes. >> All right. Uh cell phone update. I gotta tell you, I was shocked. I And and I was wrong. And I'll own that. Like I did not think that when the governor did that that it would I thought it was going to take so much of our administrators. I'm knocking on wood right now because I realize we haven't had a full week. But when I walk into the cafeterias and I walk in um right near my office, the dry calf or study hall, kids don't have phones out. The one thing that we are going to be doing and I want this to be said in public session so people do not think that we're
013wasting their school tax dollars. We've had a lot of students come up to me and maybe they said you actually brought it to my attention at the last meeting. Remember we talked over there about we have a lot of rule followers and and I actually just heard a a ninth grade girl right here saying she's a rule follower. So she after n after last block she quickly has to get to her locker to be able to get her phone. Most of the kids keep the phones in the bags and this is happening in all schools and if long as the phone doesn't go off or vibrate, we would never know. But the kids that are the rule followers that aren't putting in their bags because their parents said no, the governor said it can't be
014your bags. It's got to be in your locker. We have a solution for that. So, I want to be very clear with this because I don't want people going, "Oh, the first budget had went down and you spent this on pouches, the governor for her disruptionfree um money that she's allocated to each school district, it's you use it or you literally lose it. It's just like with the pandemic and it goes off somewhere else. We lose it in this community. Ours was $18,000 in the in the late spring. It was determined that we had to have a place to store. We picked our lockers because the only game in town at the time was Yonder. And for even like the hard Velcro ones, which most of the districts are going with because it meets the
015governor's rules that it can be in their bag because whether it's the hard Velcro ones or the Yonder lock, they're made by the same company. Once it goes in there, it blocks all signals. So phones won't be vibrating in the pouches. they won't be going off in the pouches. Um, they were only $8 through a different company. So, we had we put a bid out. We heard that there was another company that got on the Bosey's bid, a local company, and they Yonder was selling the same ones for $27 with the Velcro. We got them for eight. The exact same pouch from the same distributor. So, we were able to not go a penny over the state's allocation of $18,000. that got us 2,000 of the pouches. So, everyone in the middle school, everyone in
016the high school, and we have a hundred um at the elementary level if some of the fifth graders, their their phones are going off in their lockers and things like that. So, again, we didn't spend anything beyond what the state said this money is earmarked and it could only go for storage for devices. And the reason why when we get these in a week or two when they come in probably in a week is then we can give them to the students because the rule followers won't have to then run to their locker when they have friends that are just keeping them in their bags and off. And so that will solve that whole problem. But I really want the community to know we spent none of their school tax money. I mean it's all
017of our tax money that the the governor allocated. you know, North Syracuse, I think, got, you know, $75,000. We got 18. Originally would have cost us $65,000 for pouches, but because another company came up and they're only getting a couple dollars profit for each as opposed to $26 profit for each, we were able to do that. So, we're when they come in, we're going to I'm going to send something out to the parents so they know this money came right from the governor. This is the governor's legislation and you had to use the money. This is the first time that we didn't just submit a grant and they get reimbursed. So, we were getting that $18,000. The last thing I wanted the governor to say is, "We gave you 18,000. What did you do with
018it?" Right? while we're using lockers and we needed to be able to show this is this is what we're doing because the last thing and I know what's going to happen. We will have troopers come into the schools and just like they did last year because they directly report to the governor and they're going to ask not to go in classrooms. They're going to ask to go in the cafeteria. They're going to and if it stays like it does right now, we don't have any problems. But again, it hasn't been a full week yet, right? So, we don't know how many of the students may grow tired of that and want to get back on their phones. The good news is is we'll at least have those pouches and we didn't pay for that. So,
019that's that. Um, the other thing is AA Cole. I've been out there three times already. The building is beautiful. Um, the it's so much brighter. The hallways, the walls, the little STEM spaces, it's it's amazing. Again, this district went about 13 and a half, maybe 14 years without a district-wide capital project. That's why since since I came in, this is my 10th year here. We've been rolling with capital projects to be able to, you know, get our buildings first up to code. When people when they go into the buildings, they look at the mechanical and they look at the masonry and the structural. There were a lot of things that weren't even code anymore. We were able to do all of that. Um, the front wall, that money was earmarked like four years ago with
020the first capital project and the bids were just astronomically high. And so that's why it's finally almost done. They have the the really nice maroon stone caps that go on the top. If anyone saw what that wall looked like before, it was not in good condition. That's where all the students get their pictures for graduation. That's where the media always showed the building. It it was rain stained. It I you called it was it brutal? Minimous brutal whatever it was. But yeah, it it wasn't a good representation when people look up at our school for the first time. And again, that money all came from the capital project from Moren. Was that four years ago that that was a the 20 that was the 2022 one? So, we're excited that Cole the good news too
021is um a lot of the kids now are the the bus line, sorry, the parent drop off is a fraction of what it was before because now the kids can ride their buses. They're back to normal. if they miss the boss. We had um a little bit of an attendance issue because I get it, if you live way out there, they're driving their kid all the way in, but it's really good that they're back to normal and they seem really, you know, like they never left there. Um the new student um that was the best one I think we've ever had. The new student day um for all ninth graders was packed with people. The older students had their um clubs set up and recruiting. I thought that was great. Kids were very excited. That
022was started over the summer. Um, but it was great. That pretty much concludes the Oh, and the teachers, it was a it I want to say it was probably like the top two of the best back to school that I think we've had. Um, it was great. Everyone was excited to get back. So, Bethany Centronone did a great job with all of the things that normally are dry. People were really enjoying themselves uh for that. So, that concludes the superintendent report. Okay, thanks Tom. Yeah, it was um it was a huge crowd to welcome back to it was actually out into the hallway. So, it was a good showing for sure. Um if I could get a motion for item H in its entirety. >> A motion. >> Second. Any discussion? All those in favor?
023Okay. I will make the motion that the central square school central square central school district board of education hereby move into executive session to discuss a matter leading to a tenure of three particular people with no action to follow. Can I get a second? >> A second. >> Any discussion? All those in favor?