001Good evening and welcome to the Wednesday, August 20th board of education meeting for the Chester Union Free School District. Apologies for our delay. Mrs. Ay, can you take roll call, please? >> Yes, please respond with present when I call your name. Mrs. Dersio, >> present. >> Mrs. Negger Smith, >> present. >> Mrs. Arnett, >> present. >> Mrs. Hines Johnson, >> present. >> Mrs. present. >> Thank you. A forum is present. We can now proceed with the meeting. >> Thank you so much. Can we please stand for the pledge of allegiance? >> I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Can I please have a motion to adopt tonight's agenda? >> I'll make
002the motion to adopt the agenda. >> I'll second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> Motion pass. Can I please have a motion to approve the board meeting minutes of July 7th, 2025? >> I'll make that motion. >> I'll second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> Motion pass. Can I please have a motion to approve the board meeting minutes of July 15, 2025? I'll make that motion. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> Motion pass. >> Since we do not have any presentations this evening, we'll move us to our public comments. Anyone wishing to come down and speak on agenda items? Okay. That moves us to round table discussion. Merrick, you ready to share for round table? >> Just a few points. Thank you. Uh good evening to anyone uh watching our families that
003are watching this evening and those those here in person. Um it's really hard to believe that it's already August 20th and we're about to start the new 2526 school year uh beginning around the corner. Um over the summer, our administrative team along with our year-round staff, secretaries, custodians, uh support staff have been working daily to make improvements to ensure that we're ready to welcome our students back on September 3rd. Fall sports practices began on August 18th with modified sports starting September 3rd. And updates are being shared regularly through Parent Square social media and the district website. I want to thank our families uh our staff for their support in the significant transition in our student information system which is going from school tool to synergy. Um the goal of this change is uh multifaceted. everything
004from uh the idea to move away from the old school paper forms and uh repeating those forms for registration for every child that you have to a more efficient system um that's digitized and and obviously there's a learning curve there and with any new significant student information system change there there will be some glitches along the way and we're here we're here to support in that process. So we we do encourage families um at this time we have over 400 families registered many of which include our uh student athlete families because we've transitioned away from family ID so that we don't have multiple platforms for registration. So, if there is any um challenges along the way, please reach out um to either building and we'll we're certainly help you whether it be over the phone
005or you're welcome to come in person um as we as we transition in this process. And I just want to give a special thanks to our director of uh technology and data management Dan Schwarzoff and certainly his uh partner Dennis Leri for uh they've been working on this transition at the beginning um or towards the beginning uh of uh the last school year with the with the hopes that it would be passed through the budget. So, uh, thank the board for their support and and we do believe that there's going to be many significant improvements including, uh, safety and security through reunification process that Synergy offers. Um, and we look forward to sharing more of that information with our families. Um, again, our team is here to help. If if any families uh, need, please
006reach out. I also want to mention um there has been significant construction uh from the seems like from day after graduation uh uh continuing on through today with uh that's specific to our safety capital project. So that's uh construction at the elementary school with added uh doors in uh shared spaces uh swipe cards throughout the building um with wiring being done inhouse by our facilities team which has cost actually saved the district a significant amount. You'll you hear hear more details on that. But all the wiring um has been done in house for swipe cards uh which basically alleviates the need for teachers to key in and it allows for any um emergency situation for an immediate deactivation to access into our classrooms. Um and the list goes on with those safety upgrades. Um and
007I want to thank our director of facilities, Matt D. Ro and his team. With addition uh to all of the safety upgrades that are happening throughout the district, they're still preparing our schools uh which they do annually to welcome our students and staff back. Um as part of our long range planning, I do want to make mention of our parent square my parent square message that went out to families today. Um, it does include a preliminary, and I do want to stress preliminary overview of a proposed interscolastic athletics facility. Um, I will say following a 2-year feasibility study, we're taking the next step in planning for a modern multi-purpose space that will serve our students through athletics, wellness, physical education, and school events. It will also serve as a safe central location for families to
008gather and connect reflecting also a community space for the pride that we share in Chester. And that's a very general statement for a very significant initiative. So certainly there will be uh much more information to follow. Um there will be a panel that's created uh for uh community in input and engagement and that would be in addition to several community forums um where the community has the ability outside of a board of education meeting to hear more about the plans to provide their input that shape the plans and then eventually it would lead to a referendum where which would be subject to a community vote. So, we're excited to be as we get uh more detailed information um begin sharing uh that with our families and community. And looking ahead to next week, we have
009new teacher orientation on Monday, August 25th. And we have certainly very excited because we have quite a few new staff members uh eager to join our team. very impressed um with those that uh have gone through a really extensive interview process from screening to if you if you get through the screening then you're in an in-person interview. If you get through that um you're going uh for the for many teachers you're in a um in front of a large panel teaching our students. Um so we're very excited about the expertise and experience of the teachers that that are joining our CFSD team. Uh Chester Academy new student and sixth grade orientation is Monday, August 26 from 9 to 11 here at Chester Academy. And then we have uh at the other end of the spectrum,
010our CES little ones are prek and kindergarten orientation on Tuesday, August 27th from 9 to 12. And then at CES ice cream socials Tuesday, August 27th as well. So that's at 121 and 2. Information has been shared with Mrs. Bosch. That's an exciting time just to invite families um to the elementary school um to join in the excitement of the start of the school year. If you want to come on by, have some ice cream, drop off the supplies for your child, um we welcome you to do so. It's a great feel-good event and we're certainly excited. So, that's all the information I have to share and just super excited for the start to the year. >> Thank you. Anything else around the table from this side? >> No. Uh, Orange County School Board has
011not released their new calendar yet for this year. So, I'll make sure to forward that along once it comes through. >> That brings us to consent agenda. >> I would like to make a motion to adopt consent agenda items 5.1 through 5.20. Second. >> All in favor? >> Consent agenda passes. That moves us to our second public comment. >> Good evening and welcome. >> Good evening members. My name is I'm an eighth grader at Chester Pike. Last year as a seventh grader, I was a member of girls varsity soccer team, JB girls basketball team, and varsity girls lacrosse team. I was honored to be the name the MVP for the Chester girls lacrosse team, and I was also selected for the section 9 class all sections. I am here tonight to speak about the varsity
012girls lacrosse team at Chester K. It looks as though that our numbers are low for our team this year due to the majority of the team graduating and Chester not having a modified or JV team. My goal after high school is to play lacrosse in college and having a high school team would be the starting point to achieving my goal. I have been reaching out to the athletic director, Mr. Set, and hope to address this issue and figure it out before any ideas are shut down due to the timing we have. However, there has been limited responses or suggestions in regarding my to my concern. I've been playing lacrosse since I was in kindergarten on a variety of lacrosse teams which are all different levels. And through these teams, I am aware that there are
013schools that are also short on numbers close to Chester and section 9 that would be willing to explore merging. However, Chester would need to follow up on these opportunities in order for it to go into effect prior to the start of the season. I'm hopeful that making you aware of this, we can address the situation for the girls lacrosse team and also for many of the other girls sports teams that are lacking numbers at Chester. As an athlete and a member of the student council, I'm willing to help the district find a solution for problems facing the girls sports programs. Thank you for taking the time to listen to me and thank you for all you do for the district. Um we always appreciate um when people come forward um especially our students in share
014um you know we don't know unless unless we are told. So we appreciate um you sharing that with us and um certainly um you know we'll we'll look into it. Um as you know that we do I can speak more of it but we do um merge and and with other districts. So, um, but again, we don't know the numbers, so we sincerely appreciate you coming and sharing that with us. Um, and we will definitely, um, look into that. And, >> um, we are impressed that it's you're addressing it now. It's not the, you know, two weeks before the spring season. So, we appreciate your time of that >> and your offer to assist. >> Right. So, thank you. >> So, thank you. Anything else for public comments? Can I have a motion to adjurnn?
015>> I'll make that motion. I'll second. >> All in favor? I. >> Thank you for those who came in person today and who tuned in. Our next board of education meeting is September 10th. Good night and enjoy the rest of the