001Second executive session time regular session. Welcome everyone. uh would like to stand by allegiance of America to the republic for it stands nation for all Okay, we're going to go to um item number five and um superintendent is going to speak and then we're going to go to public. Superintendent Hec. Uh tonight we have the public hearing for the 2526 uh proposed school budget. Uh we would like at this time just to let anyone here know that there are uh handouts in the back that will give you information about the administrative program and capital aspects of the budget. We also have uh for anyone sitting here with access to uh the internet, you can also see all of the budget information on our school website on the handle for the budget. Just very quickly, we
002are asking uh that the proposed budget would be a total of 47,280,512. We are requesting a property tax levy change of 1.75%. Uh this is significantly below the maximum tax levy cap of 5.425%. Um we are estimating a proposed tax rate of $15.91 per thousand of assessed value. We also want to share that the budget shows this year that our program budget is 81.36%. Our capital budget is 7.66% 66% and our administrative budget is at 10.98%. And this is just a quick summary of our proposed budget and at this time I will pass back to President Hec for public comment. Okay. So public comment is just about the uh budget right now. We'll have the other portion of meeting which will be another general um public comment session. So, if anybody has questions regarding um
003budget, uh the floor is open. Um so, somebody wants to, we'll do that. If not, you're very welcome. Okay. So, nobody's doing that. We're going to uh adjourn uh this portion of the meeting. Motion to second. All in favor? I from that portion of the meeting. which is going to be so uh we're going to do a roll call vote. We are opening the meeting. It is now 73. Uh roll please. Here. here. Okay. Um, owner item number two, superintendent personal recommendations instructional. And I'm handing it over to the superintendent. Thank you, President H. Tonight we celebrate the achievement of four educators who have shown dedication, professionalism, resilience, and heart. Ernest tenure reflects the countless ways our educators pour themselves into the lives of students, colleagues, and their families day after day, year after year.
004When an educator earns tenure in Elsewhere, it means that they have a lasting impact. on every live they interact with them and it is recogn and it's a recognition that they have helped students thrive and also for our entire community to be uplifted because of their contributions. So tonight uh to Miss Davis, Miss Hood, Miss Robin, and Mr. presidential whom I am pleased to recommend for tenure this evening. Thank you for caring deeply for our students for your excellence in teaching and this honor is so well earned. It's just the beginning of what you will accomplish for a career and education. And at this time I will invite Dr. Hannah Upton who will say a few words on behalf of Miss Davis and Miss Hood. And shortly thereafter, Dr. Kapawanu to say a few words
005on behalf of Miss Ramen and student. Thank you, Miss Everyone. This is Vanessa Davis. You began your journey at Alice Green Elementary School during the height of CO. As the world began to reopen and it is with that same level of excitement, optimism and commitment, you still have it to this very day. You show up for your students every day. You show up for your colleagues every day. Over the past four years, Mrs. Davis has approached every day from a place of gratitude, enthusiasm, and commitment to her students, their families, and her colleagues. She takes great pride in motivating and learning from her students who inspire her to be her best every day. Whether they tackle challenging lessons, navigate unexpected obstacles, or celebrate milestones, Mrs. Davis left the forefront and has become an integral part
006of the background of our school community. If I were to highlight every contribution Mrs. Davis has made, we would be here for hours. She is a mentor, a peer mediator, a master planner, and a professional problem solver. It was noted in her observations that her solid pedagogical pract practices meet the various needs of her students that support critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration, and character development. Mrs. Davis fosters opportunities for students growth, reflection, and responsibility. Noted conversations related to student data both for students and conversations are an ongoing practice in the classroom and foster an environment where students are encouraged to take risks and they have a clear understanding of the road map for their learning. Although Mrs. Davis is designated as a special education teacher, she takes responsibility for all all of her students and
007the learning in the class. Mrs. Davis is consistent and uses real world scenarios and problem solving activities to engage students and further their understanding. And they love having conferences with her. As a lifelong learner, Mrs. Davis has always kept the bar high, not just for her students, but for herself. In addition to her most important roles outside of teaching as a wife and a mother, she found time to further develop her expertise in bilingual special education by completing her bilingual certificate and is currently enrolled as a doctoral candidate at Manhattanville University. So in turn, Mrs. Davis, the way that you honor and celebrate your students for their milestones, we would like to thank you for your commitment to our students and congratulate you on this milestone. [Music] [Applause] Heat. Heat. [Applause] And now, Miss May
008Hood, Miss May Hood began her journey at Alice Elementary School a very long time ago and this was the place where she began her educational journey as a student. After graduating from Alexander Hamilton, Miss Maya attended Lafayette College where she was not only an outstanding student but a star athlete. In fact, I remember her signing her commitment letter to Lafayette as if it were yesterday. There was never a doubt in Miss Hood's mind that she wanted to be a teacher and greatly influence and impact the lives of children the same way many have had a significant impact on her. I am extremely proud of my former student who has been my colleague for the past four years and I applaud her continued commitment to serving and giving back to her community. In addition to your
009teaching commitment, Miss Hood has continued her love for athletics by coaching and was the first to step up and help me to coordinate our annual holiday baskets. Recognizing how hard our students work and reminiscing about her experience as an elementary student, Miss Hood has taken the lead with coordinating our honorable assemblies where we honor and celebrate our students for their leadership, achievements, and contributions to the community. Miss Hood also coordinates field day filled with fun and lots of prizes, game day, and will always volunteer to support in any way she can. Miss Hood takes great pride in building rapport with her students and communicating with their families. So much so that if a student forgets something, she has no problem dropping it off at their homes. As a science and math teacher, Miss Hood brings
010light to learning and creates learning opportunities that are engaging and fun for kids. It was noted in Miss's observations that she continues to individualize learning experiences for her students that engage them to be actively involved in their learning and share accountability for their progress. Miss Hood's classroom is warm, welcoming, print rich, and filled with data charts that highlight her students growth and motivates them to work hard. And I must say, she knows how to throw some of the best celebrations for our students when they meet their goals. Miss Hood is not only an integral part of the background at Alice Era Elementary, she's an integral member of the Elswood community. Miss chose to come home and it is my hope that upon receiving her tenure that she remain her home for many years to come.
011Congratulations Miss on your tenure. Thank you for everything you do for us. [Applause] [Music] Cabado um introduce the other uh team of candidates. Good evening. It's great to be with you this evening. I think the most important thing that an administration and a board of education do is hire the right people and then support them. As I begin tonight, I'd like to answer two questions and you'll see why in a minute. The first question is what in the world is tenure? I'll tell you what it's not. It's not about passing. I'll tell you what it's not. It's not something offered to an educator who meets a minimum threshold. I'll tell you what it's not. It's not the goal. It's not the end. What is it? Tenure is an acknowledgement of academic and pedagogical excellence. It
012is something offered to an educator who exemplifies the best that our profession has to offer. It is the beginning. It's the beginning of a time of modeling, of leadership, and further involvement in our school. That's what tenure is. The second question I'd like to answer is what are the characteristics of an excellent educator? An excellent teacher knows their topic and loves the content. An excellent teacher is an excellent communicator of that content. An excellent teacher not only knows and loves the content but knows and loves their students more. And an excellent teacher becomes very involved in the life of our school and in the life of our students. I started by answering those questions. tenure was an excellent teacher for a specific reason because we're going to be talking about two people now who exemplify
013the concept of an excellent teacher. Anthony Gentiel and Pearl are being high school in those and at junior high. um like to talk about acting first. Anthony Gentiel earned his BA and MS from the college of pharmacy mincing with degrees in history and urban and multicultural education. He has certifications in history and special education and is our consultant teacher in seventh grade in math, science, social studies, and English. He supports all of our special education students as well as our general education students in the three four content area. Beyond the classroom, he's a baseball coach. He's a volleyball coach, influencing our students and impacting them in significant ways outside the classroom. He's our technology coordinator helping our teachers advance and implement technology into their classrooms. And if you walk around on state testing days or
014AP days, he is running around wearing out a pair of sneakers making sure everything works properly. When I asked Anthony what's proud of, he started by saying, "I love the size of this school." And I just sat quietly because I thought that doesn't answer my question. And then he went on to say, I love the size of the school because I enjoy building relationships with our staff and students. I think I know 95% of them by name. Here's a quote that he said to me yesterday that I wanted to make sure I got quote, "Kids will rise to the expectations we set for them. That's we want to hear from teachers. And then he also said, I feel like I can impact every student who walks through my door. That's precisely why he's taking when
015I talk to him. I also and as I said with tenure that's just the beginning. The question is now what? How do you want to impact your students in our school more? He said he'd like to build on and expand upon his role as a technology. He wants to do more. He also said he wants to become more involved in our athletic program by impacting different athletes by potentially offering other opportunities. We'll be talking to the athletic director about that. You see what we have? You have someone who wants to catch you in powerful ways and watch it continue to grow in what he's doing more. For that reason, tonight It's my pleasure now to speak on behalf of Prosa earned her BS in MA at City College of New York in pure math, which
016you normally don't hear, in secondary education. She is certified in math and computer science. She teaches AP calculus, AP computer science A, and virtually every level of algebra 2. She's the advisor to our coding club. There are about 18 students involved in that and 12 of them are here virtually three times a week. They're very active members. She brought this club to two coding competitions. One at Si College of Ali and the other at Cornell Tech in the city. Not only does she advise the coding club, she's the advis advisor to the Reach Cultural Club, and she oversees events related to Hispanic History Month, Black History Month, and the upcoming cultural assembly in May. She also chaperon's multiple events. When I asked what Rose was proud of, she was the first teacher that brought a
017computer science a to our district. And since that's not enough, she's introducing Python next year to more students taking on another class. When I think of Peroa, I think of two words: relationship and time. Here's what she said yesterday. Quote, I love to help students find their direction. If you ask them the right questions, you can help them find their way. She does that every day. She doesn't just teach math. When I go by her room, when I'm leaving at 4 or 5, she's still there with a group of students, still talking about math, but also talking about life, whatever else they want to talk about. as she moves into the year after tenure, what does she want to do next? She's interested in expanding our computer science program even more and is interested in
018creating a club that relates in the area of game design. Congratulations [Applause] [Music] I I want to recommend uh these four candidates for attend this evening. And I would um also uh want to say that I thank all of our staff members who are here tonight to support all of our candidates. Uh it's a testament of our community and the love that we have for these four individuals. So, President Heck, I I recommend strongly that each one of them should receive that tonight. Thank you, Superintendent. It's with great pleasure that I get to do this tonight. So, I'm going to ask the board um on item 2.1 through 2.4. Do I have a motion to approve? I have a second. All in favor? Opposed? Motion carries. Congratulations. So with that, we're going to take a
019pause. We're going to do a little celebration. We've got some cake and refreshments that everyone is welcome to join in and celebrate um tenure for these four great teachers. Thank you. Wow.