001Good evening everyone and welcome to the April 13, 2026 board of education regular business meeting. Can I have a motion to open the meeting? Uh from Tom and a second from Jenna. All in favor? It is upon recommendation from the superintendent of schools that the board of education enter into executive session to discuss specific legal collective bargaining personnel and other matters in accordance with the open meetings law. Can I have a motion please? John. Second from Annie. All in favor? That's everyone. We'll see you here at 7:30. Uh, Mr. Palasios will not be joining us this evening. Good evening, everyone. Welcome back. Um, can I get a motion to exit out of executive session? Jenna, a second from Annie. All in favor? Thank you very much. Good evening everyone. Welcome back uh to the April
00213th, 2026 regular business meeting. Can I have a motion to open the public session? Anyone? John 2. That's everyone. Uh please stand for the pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the stands nation for all. It would be so nice if we could have our meeting outside today, right? Hope everyone had a wonderful spring break. Uh just as a reminder, we have emergency exits in the back of the room and two at the side. Um and Huntington Union Free School District is a smoke-free school district. On to our approvals and FYIs. Uh we have the board of education meeting minutes of March 26th. It's upon recommendation from the superintendent of schools that the board of edition board of education approve the meeting minutes um from March 24th, 2026.
003Can I get a motion, please? From John, second from Annie. All in favor? Terrific. A few FYIs. We have the budget appropriation reports for uh general school lunch and special aid funds. We have a few budget transfers and a credit. Um, we have uh budget transfer for uh a change order for Southtown Primary School, for Washington Primary School, for our extracurricular. We have a listing of our quarterly reports, and then we have our revenue status report as of uh 3:31. Does anybody have any questions on those? We don't have to approve those, right? Um we're on to our treasury report for uh February of 2026. It is upon recommendation from the superintendent of schools that the board of education approve the February 2026 treasures report. May I have a motion, please? From Kelly, second from
004Tom. Does anyone have any questions on the treasures report? Great. Um, did we vote? Uh, all in favor? Great. And, uh, warrants. It is upon recommendation from the superintendent of schools that the board of education approve the attached warrants which were certified for payment on March 25th of 2026 and April 8th of 2026. Can I have a motion please? From Jenna, a second from Kelly. Does anybody have any questions about the warrants? Can I get a vote? All in favor? That is everyone. Uh, which brings us to our board member communications and announcements. I will let Emily take the first stab at the communications. Good evening, board and community members. I hope everyone had a restful and enjoyable spring break and hopefully looking forward to the fourth quarter of the school year. The Huntington High
005School spring production, Titanic the Musical, was a huge success. The performances were on March 27th at 7:00 p.m. and March 28th at 2 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. With performances like this one, one can see the hard work and talent put in both by students and advisers in this production. They put endless hours of rehearsals rehearsals to perfect their acts which allowed them to showcase the story of Titanic with a fantastic display that left the audiences delighted and entertained. Amongst the many highlights of the spring musical was the pit orchestra which offered the audience and the students themselves an experience that is very unique. Student musicians were able to play in a live setting which offered them the chance to learn more about timing collaboration in a live theater setting. Beyond the success that was seen
006on stage, our school communities South Primary School and Huntington Blue Market collaborated with each other to uphold our community service values. The students of Southoun collected and donated toiletries, food, and clothes to the blue market. This project helps students of Huntington as it gives them access to basic necessities if they are in a need of them. This not only ensures our students are taken care of, but it also fosters support amongst peers. Therefore, thank you to the incredible Southbound primary students for their incredible acts of kindness and for the teachers who helped in organizing this opportunity. Apart from these activities, the district has also recognized the outstanding results that students have have achieved at Washington Primary School by earning the commanding designation on the New York State English as a second language achievement test. It
007is important to mention that obtaining such a designation requires high proficiency in English and hard work from these students. Being bilingual in our communities is crucial and extremely beneficial for their future endeavors. As we are approaching the end of the school year, schools are students are advised to attend extra help sessions and tutoring sessions offered by their teachers or honor societies in the high school. Math Honor Society provides tutoring for all math classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays in room 1:30 at 2:30 p.m. Science Honor Society has tutoring on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 2:30 p.m. as well in the library. The high school provides many amazing resources that students so that students can feel prepared and confident for their end end of the year exams. Thank you. >> Thank you so much, Emily. It's good to
008have you back. Um, any of my fellow board members have any comments? >> Um, yeah, I just want to highlight uh the cultural evening that occurred at Wood Hole a couple weeks ago. Pre-break feels like eons ago. It was an incredible event. I think um Miss Campbell and I were calculating somewhere around 250 people in attendance. Um there was a fashion show where the kids dressed up in garb representative of their famil family's cultures and heritage. There were well over a dozen countries represented. Um some of those countries with dozens of kids. So by the time they were up on the stage, it was a wonderful group and all of the kids looked incredibly prideful and smiling. Um, and then there was uh parents or I guess families donated food. Uh, I came with like
009one small platter of food from my husband's country of Columbia and other families came with full tables that they decorated. The entire cafeteria was decked out. It was an amazing event. I'm a softy and I cried. Um, so Miss Campbell said that next year she hopes to do it in the fall so she can take it outside um and accommodate the many many people who were in attendance. >> Yeah, that's always a special night. >> Andy, did you have something? >> I just have two quick things. I also wanted to make mention of um Finley also hosted a mult multicultural evening. It was really well done. And I just wanted to say thank you to Miss Rothell and her team and the students and families that came and and district administration. Um again, there was
010a really great it was well attended, food, games, um all sorts of, you know, different opportunities for for the community to learn about different cultures. So really great job. So thank you to Miss Rothell and her her team. Just wanted to also make mention that the marching band parents association is hosting their band band cakes. They're called at the Hailsite Firehouse this Sunday. Sunday, right? Yeah. April 19th. It is from 9 to 12. If you have a chance to get there, it's always a great time and great turnout and supports a good cause. So, just wanted to make mention. >> There are a lot of good raffles. Actually, I got a sneak peek. >> Yeah. >> Um I also wanted to mention um Heffy. I do not believe it's too late to get your tickets
011for Heffy, which is always a great night. And as a reminder for those who may not know, um it's the Huntington Foundation for Excellence in Education, and the monies that they raise um come back to us in the school district um in the form of grants that are given for a variety of things. Um teachers can write grants, administrators can write grants, and they've um given back some wonderful things to our school district. So, um they have a website if you'd like to attend. It is this Thursday evening. I believe it starts at 7 o'clock. >> 6 o'clock. Oh, I'm going to be late. Okay. Um, does anybody else have anything? >> All right. You bet. >> All right. Uh, I'll just touch a little bit upon the governor's budget. Uh being that the governor
012has not released the executive budget as of today and the deadline has been extended until tomorrow, April 14th, we are moving forward with our plan based on the preliminary budget release and we'll make adjustments prior to the April 21st board meeting when we adopt the budget if the updated executive budget is released by then. Uh, in the area of athletics, the original scoreboard at Blue Devil Stadium was removed on Thursday and a new one was installed today. The old scoreboard outlasted its life expectancy by six years. Mr. Hoops wanted to let us know that. So, we got the bang for our buck. Uh, and the new scoreboard is a match to the one at Alumni Field. We also had two new bleachers installed today on our baseball field at the first and third base line.
013um based on the fact that it was very difficult to view the game from the bleachers that were there prior due to where the dugout is placed. So that'll hopefully provide some additional ways for people and our fans to watch our kids play. Uh junior Julia Goodwin and senior Jack Camstein have been nominated for recognition at the second annual high school Jewish athletes award ceremony coinciding with the National Jewish Athletic Hall of Fame induction on Sunday, May 17th in Comarmac. The high school ceremony will recognize outstanding Jewish student athletes from across Long Island. Uh the Dennis Walker Show Showdown Track and Field Invitational was held last Saturday at Blue Devil Stadium. More than 40 teams and a thousand athletes participated in the large gathering. An assortment of Blue Devils finished among the top three in
014each of the 19 events. Congratulations to them. And the event serves as a fundraiser for our high school track teams who use the monies generated to compete at out of town invitationals which we have several of in the area of fine and performing arts. I'd like to congratulate the entire cast, crew and pit orchestra of Titanic the musical. All three performances were very well attended and each one was better than the last. Thank you to Mr. Schwenderman for all of his hard work in preparing the students for their amazing performances and thank and congratulations to all of the students and also to our pit orchestra. Uh I did want to mention also the pancake fundraiser for the HBDMBB coming up on the 19th which is this Sunday which was already mentioned. Uh and we have
015some students to acknowledge. We have high school students work uh which is being displayed at the Hexure Art Gallery. The opening reception was on March 28th. 84 out of 400 pieces that were submitted were selected and seven of them were ours. So that's a pretty great accomplishment for Hazel Coransza Mononttoya, Cadence Dandereo, Bella Duke, Ana Gilleski, Emma Morton, and Emma Mortonson. Jay Hoff, Isabelle was awarded the Renzo and Lynette Bianke Scholarship Award. Carolina Ramos Cerivia was awarded the Hexure Museum Achievement Award and Social Critique. And Huntington alumni Aaron Feltman uh judge the expedition, which is pretty awesome. Uh I do also uh want to mention Heffy this Thursday. They are such a great support for our school district. So, if you haven't bought your ticket, it's not too late. Um, and I do want to
016thank Mr. Hender for all of his work on staffing for the upcoming school year. Uh, as well as Dr. Harris for all of the work on the budget, the many meetings and conversations that date back to October. Uh, I was pretty under the weather at our last meeting and I really didn't have an opportunity to thank them for their presentation. So, I did want to do that publicly. I'll turn it back over to you. >> Thank Do you happen to know when the Hexure exhibit goes until because I haven't been able to get there yet. >> I can look it up. >> Off the top of my head, I don't know, but >> I know it's like a few weeks. >> Yeah, it I've gone in the past and it it blows me away how
017talented these kids are. Um, great. That brings us to our first public commentary of the night. There will be two. Uh, public commentary is open to employees and residents of the district. You're allotted three minutes to speak with a total of 30 minutes maximum. Uh priority will be given during this first public commentary to anything that is on the list tonight or on the agenda tonight for items for action and discussion. But there will be another public commentary at the end. Um when you approach the podium, please fill out your name affiliation to the district so that if uh we need to follow up with you, we can. It's not intended to be a back and forth conversation, but rather an opportunity for you to share some thoughts. Would anybody like to Oh, all right.
018As I said, there'll be another one towards the end of the meeting. >> So, at this time, I would like to ask Dr. Ruby Harris to come up, our assistant superintendent for finance and management services. She will be presenting a proposed facility use fee structure. um due to the fact that we have changed the landscape of our district particularly at Huntington High School over the last decade where we now have two two turf fields. We have lighting on one of the fields. We have an auditorium that we're hoping will be completed. Um this summer we took a look at our uh facility use costs and she did a lot of work researching what other districts are doing, had committee meetings to really discuss this and she'll be presenting on that tonight. Thank you. So, as
019mentioned, um I will be going through what the process has been, where we ended up, and then next steps. Um this provides you a list of stakeholders who participated um on the committee. Um we evaluated the current fee structure for not only our school district, but surrounding school districts as well. We out identified outdated rates and inconsistencies with practices. So if you recall um facilities was also the area facility usage was also the area for the risk assessment audit. So we are aligning these things with things that were mentioned in there regarding our practices. Um we assessed operational and staffing cost and then we also looked at our usage patterns. What we found uh is facilities is a headache. Uh every district does this a little bit different. They have different tiers that identify who
020falls where. Um their staffing cost and what they charge is very all over the board. Um you will see and I had included prior uh you have districts that will charge thousands of dollars for the auditorium usage. you have districts that will say no to outside people. So, we really took into consideration the way our community utilizes our buildings. So, we did all we could to make sure these were a fair representation um of what is required to run them. This is not a revenue boost here. This is really just to cover the cost of what is occurring, wear and tear, um the increased cost due to the new things we put in these areas that they're now able to utilize. As more people utilize things, they the the depreciation happens quicker. So all of
021those things were taken into uh consideration. I also want to I'll I'll save it for the next slide. So um some updates regarding the framework. Um we are utilizing a four tier user classification. Um the four tiers are broken out and one of the things that we will be doing administratively is identifying where people fall in the tiers. That takes the uh burden and and probably some of the back and forth that people may have from the clerical staff and it really puts it on me to just have those discussions which I don't mind doing. Um, currently we do a 4hour sessionbased matrix. We kept that. We just didn't want to confuse people. So, we kept that structure in place. Uh, we included some auditorium event packages which seemed to work well for districts, really
022honing in what do you need that space for and you only paying for that um instead of paying a higher fee for something that you won't be utilizing. Uh we also included a stadium lighting schedule which you will see as I go through this uh and separated some cost and then just clear uh priority rules. Uh another thing that is mentioned and and will be mentioned uh probably multiple times is the board has the right to say a specific organization we would like to see this happen for them. That's fine. The auditors are recommending though that that is a board action item and it probably is something that we should do annually just so everybody is on the same page of this is what we're approving and this is how we'll move forward. That takes
023the uh own onus kind of off of us in trying to figure out if something was agreed to four or five years ago and we just don't know as people have changed over. So as mentioned clearer user strategies and categories um cost alignment and also just supporting the new facility request. Um one thing that will be forthcoming once this is approved hopefully uh we'll also be looking at electronic systems to get away from the paper and help uh streamline which will also help our community. And this also shows the different tiers. The larger facility fee structure actually describes each one of those to help people better understand where they fall, but I just didn't want to put all of that on the slide. So, these are some snippets right from the actual structured usage recommendation.
024Uh that is a longer two-page document. Um I'm not going to go through this piece by piece. uh the old fee structure is still online. There are increases clearly that are shown here. I think the biggest thing to uh bring forth is the fact that our facility fees have not been updated since I think it was 2018. So that is a lengthy time to keep everything stagnant. Um what we are doing is trying to find a middle of the road right we are this does not put us in a category of being the highest in the area. Uh this puts us more at a mid level um and also covering the cost of these areas being utilized. The auditorium piece, this is something new. Um we think that this allows for a great fit with
025the new auditorium that is, knock on wood, going to be finished this summer. Um, so you will see different packages and then you will see an explanation of what's included in those packages. So this also helps with sometimes people say we want to use the auditorium. They get here and they need a classroom or two. So then people are running around trying to make those things happen. Based on whatever package you are requesting, those things are already built in. Um, that will also make sure that they have any type of AB tech support that is necessary for their performance, any programming, all of those things would be done ahead of time, which I think helps our staff and also helps the person with their performance. It's stressful enough trying to put all of that together.
026>> That was actually one of the questions that I had um was looking over the presentation that was given on the auditorium and it's so impressive what we're going to have. I mean, from a sound and lighting perspective, this is really amazing. So a staff meaning Chris and Glenn probably or Mike Saigon would be a part of that package and and >> correct they're this is not uh them bringing in their own staff. It's not to say that there can't be a discussion in the future but I think that there is a lot of money that is going into that space and >> there's a huge learning curve correct with the equipment that we're going to be putting in there and the company is going to be training our people. So >> correct. >> Yeah.
027Okay, thank you. Um, and just to reference, uh, Jack Abrams and Finley, uh, will fall under the basic auditorium usage. And we tried to be as transparent and inclusive here to help people pick this document up, review it, and understand uh, how they would fall. And they can always call and ask any questions as I'm sure people will. The other uh component that we were charged with as a committee was to discuss lighting availability. Um you will see certain times of year. So the time period um we really tried to see when we thought the uh daylight would no longer be there. We were looking up what time does the sun set? Is this perfect? No. Uh I wish it was but it's not perfect. So we will work with the individuals that are requesting
028it. Um, but you will see that the hard stop is 900 p.m. just being respectful of the members of the community. Um, and h not having our lights on late at night. >> This is for the turf field. >> Yes, this is for the turf field. >> Sorry. Can I ask a question here? Um, it looks like the times are shorter than 4 hours, but we're talk So, is it not 4hour sessions for the lighting? It's a two-hour minimum and that's also taking into consideration that the only people that will be functioning those uh lighting settings will be district staff. So that's going to require a district staff member to turn the lights on to make sure they're shut off and anything that quirky that could possibly um happen for them to be accessible for
029that. Got it. So sorry I don't mean to nitpick. So then in July and August 7:30 to 9 is an hour and a half. They would just people would do seven to nine and that would be what they do. >> Well, yeah. But also, additionally, the lights take some time to actually come on and actually get set up. So, it actually does get turned on for that two-hour time frame that they'll be charged for. >> Got it. Okay. >> And also, I took it as the four hours was really for the internal like the auditorium >> kind of thing. >> The field use requirements are not 4 hours. So, this would accommodate for a 2-hour field use. the the lighting is separate. Um the 4hour matrix component that I mentioned initially is you will have
030people say I want to use the turf field for 4 hours, right? That that usually happens. Um that's the block of time. If they used it for shorter amount of time, usually they're still charged for the 4-hour block. If you're using it longer than 4 hours, then we do a proration and that currently happens right now. So that has not changed. Sorry, real quick. Is that based on the fee structure? Is that an hourly? I know we're getting knee deep into the hours here, but the fee structure on page five, is that per hour or is that >> this one right here? It's for the block >> for the block >> block of the block of the four hours. >> Gotcha. Okay. Thank you. >> Yes. That's why we kept it the same as it
031was before because it becomes very confusing, right? you're just looking at it in the snapshot here, but it becomes very confusing when you put this out. People will then say, "Well, I thought that was the block because that's what you used to do." So, we we did keep with that structure. Okay. Um, another item here you will see uh additional fees. So, you see all the additional items. Um, air conditioning that has been something that uh was on our last one. It was just part of the uh chart. I made it separate. Um, one of the things that is new is the fieldhouse bathrooms. Clearly, we don't have those yet, but we are just putting that there in anticipation for it. Uh, so this sheet will not have to change drastically. Um, lighting, programming, and
032uh, screen equipment, we're trying to figure that out and we will. And uh once that becomes available, that number will be updated as well. And um you see stadium lights now there at the bottom. >> Question about the um the fieldhouse bathrooms. I know you were saying the auditorium we're hoping to have done uh by this summer. Um fieldhouse bathrooms. Do we have a a a time frame on that one? >> I'm anticipating a little bit more time. Uh they are talking about how they can actually access the field. So if they are able to order and make that happen this summer, clearly we will allow for the time. >> Possibility of this summer for the fall season is a possibility >> possibly. Okay, we're we're working through that. >> Great. >> So just some
033uh next steps. Uh so tonight for consideration is the uh lighting hourly rate only. Um, if approved by the board, this would actually go into effect tomorrow. So, any requests that came in would be reviewed. Um, and they could, uh, request for lights out at the field. Um, at the May 11th board meeting, uh, we would ask the board to consider the entire facility use fee structure. The reason why we're asking in May for this to be approved and not waiting until July is because we'd like to take some time to notify the people that have been using our facilities. Uh these the costs have changed. Um but the implementation would not be until July 1 because we do already have people who have submitted requests for the remainder of the current school year and
034we'd like to honor what they believe they were going to pay being what they're going to pay. >> Makes sense. questions. >> So, as of tomorrow, if this were to be approved, whatever pre-existing fee structure has already been committed to would still hold and then they'd get the additional $100 per hour for the lighting. Correct. >> This is only for the light. So all the other free structures, all these outside uh folks or even inside all the the um I'm sorry, all the stakeholders, they'll be given the opportunity to be able to look at this because the only thing we'll be voting on tonight is just for those lights for this one point. >> So this will this is clearly a public document. It is on uh the website. I will not be presenting again
035hopefully uh this but it will be on the May 11th for uh BOE action and then May 12th I would actually start the communication. Um my first thought is I would at least send a letter out. Everybody is not going to answer the phone or um be easy to contact but at least submitting a letter to those along with the fee structure with it so they could know that this is forthcoming. um so they're able to prepare as they plan for the upcoming year. >> Could I just make one more suggestion uh for future consideration perhaps? Um I think this is you know uh you know I'm glad we're updating it. Um we've got beautiful facilities uh we're all very proud of it here um for having gotten to this uh but especially the auditorium.
036I'm so looking forward to that and all the fields that we've had. However, um there is a lot of times where people have paid for the field come up here. Uh and there is a uh you know there's like every kid ever went up to the high school field to kick field goals or you know many many kids but um you know I guess my question is sometimes it's a little more organized than that. You see some people that there's you know full teams of men that are out there playing. I guess my question is and I don't know if it would be part of this particular component, but how do we is it a security issue at that particular point keeping people off the field that really shouldn't be there? Um is there security
037I guess within the field that would then say you gentlemen shouldn't be here or whatever outside organization is there. So if it's the weekend, so first and foremost, uh I think it was last year, we took a lot of time to post very large signs about who was allowed on the fields and the process of using the fields. Um if it's the weekend and security is requested for an outside organization coming in, that makes it a little bit easier for someone to say, "Hey, you did not request it. You should not be on the fields." I will say sometimes it's simply you get a phone call from somebody sometimes Mr. Hoops saying uh I think somebody's on the field and they should not be out there. So there's some reach out that happens outside of
038putting security there 24/7 it becomes an issue. There's it's not everything's not gated in. >> Um but we do all we can uh to address that and then we have internal discussions on ways that we can mitigate that in the future. I >> I know that Mr. Stein was looking into some sort of apparatus that would shine a light on a field and have a very loud voice and then, you know, perhaps a bet >> call to 911. Um, we he's discussed this and looked into a couple of things that we could do to help monitor it because we don't have someone there 24/7. Um, but again, the signs were really the first part because if you don't have the signs, then you really can't enforce. So, the signs were put up and we have
039been trying to enforce better. It's definitely an area we can improve upon. >> Right. And to be clear, running the track, having a kid, you know, have a catch with some That's not my issue. You see some people that are up there scraping away snow on the brand new turf fields with, you know, shovels and uh that's a problem, boy. Yeah. Mhm. Thanks. >> Thank you so much, Dr. Harris. That was great. Appreciate it. Um, it is upon recommendation from the superintendent of schools that the board of education approve the facility use fee schedule for the athletic field lighting for the remainder of the 2025 2026 school year. Can I have a motion? Annie and John. All in favor? That's everyone. Thank you so much. And I think we're going to hear from >> Yes.
040>> So at this time I would like to call up Dr. Papandria who is our director of school counseling and testing K to2 and he has been charged with the mission of portrait of a graduate among other people in the district. our directors, our principles, our assistant superintendent for curriculum have really been working diligently to make the adjustments that are coming to fruition sooner than later uh in the next year and we've already made a lot of changes and adjustments based on uh the portrait of a graduate requirements and then we're also putting our own spin on it. It is still in development uh but we thought it was a good time to have Dr. Papandria share the work that's been done so far with regard to Portrait of a Graduate. So, thank you Thank
041you very much and good evening um board of education and central administration. Appreciate the opportunity to speak with you tonight and today we're going to talk about the New York State portrait of a graduate and graduate um graduation measures. Basically what the current uh graduation requirements are and what New York State's looking to change moving forward. New York State commissioned a blue ribbon commission to investigate uh New York State graduation requirements as well as student outcomes. and they made recommendations to New York State Board of Regents which turned into the New York Inspires. New York Inspires is taking a look at four transformations uh in education in New York State. They include adopting the New York State Portrait of a Graduate, uh redefining credit allocations, sunsetting diploma assessment requirements, and moving to one diploma with
042seals and endorsements. Uh this was presented uh to the New York State uh board of regents and over the course of the next several years pieces of this are going to be adopted. The first one being uh the New York State portrait of a graduate which was recently adopted. So New York State did um put out a timeline for the New York Inspires and uh the roll out of these new uh graduation measures and the portrait of a graduate. Um so they basically have it set up in three different um installments. The first installment um is from fall of 25 to summer of 27 with the release of the portrait of a graduate and hopefully eventually the rubrics uh with additional guidance. And they're taking a look at learning expectations um prioritizing reformatting learning standards
043with guidance uh from New York State requiring instruction in financial literacy and climate education as well as taking a look at new credit requirements. Um, so right now students are required to complete 22 Carnegie credits in order to graduate um, New York uh, New York State High School and what New York State's looking to do is kind of reallocate those 22 credits. Uh, so we're waiting on additional guidance from them uh, where those credits will be allocated and uh, New York State will continue to have work groups and advisory panels and continue to communicate updates uh, to all the schools in New York State. Starting in fall of 27 through summer of 29, we're going to see New York State moving to a one diploma system. Um this one diploma um will be the same
044for every high school in New York State. This way that there's equity uh that exists and um we're waiting on New York State to provide additional guidance on what that uh diploma uh what those transcripts are going to take uh diploma is going to look like as well as the transcripts. They're going to sunset diploma assessment requirements for all students, meaning that New York State Regent exams will no longer be required for graduation purposes. Uh, and they're also going to redefine seals and endorsements, including to allow district developed assessments. So, that's one of the main things that we're taking a look at now is, uh, what type of assessments are we looking for and what's going to really kind of signify that these students have mastered these learning standards. Um, and New York State wants
045to redefine credits to expand ways that students can earn credits. And students entering grade nine in 2027 and beyond are going to be required to earn at least one CTE credit. And New York State's going to provide additional guidance uh and the implementation of this as we go along. And then finally, the full implementation will take place in fall of 2029. The new system will be phased in beginning with students who enter grade 9 in 2029 2030. We're going to have a new statewide transcript requirement. Um the transcript will document proficiency in both the portrait of a graduate and prioritized learning standards. And we're waiting on additional guidance from New York State on what that's going to look like. If it's going to be a standardbased report card or if it's going to be more
046of a traditional report card, uh not report card, a traditional transcript that's going to highlight all the courses that the students took uh and the grades that they received in those classes. And lastly, um, New York State is going to support administration of these new assessments aligned to these prioritized learning standards. So, New York State's really revamping education, uh, from top to bottom. So, New York State did release the New York State portrait of a graduate. Uh New York State uh defines it as uh a high school graduate who is culturally responsive, build strong, respectable relationships, value diverse perspectives as essential to a rigorous inclusive learning community. New York State students who embody a cultural responsiveness and academic readiness, demonstrating creativity, critical thinking, communication, reflection, and global awareness will be prepared to learn, grow, innovate,
047and contribute meaningfully to society. These graduates will be equipped with the interpersonal, intellectual skills needed to thrive in an interconnected and ever evolving world. Um, and on the presentation here are links to uh some of the presentations and the FAQs from New York State. So, New York State did release an image of their portrait of a graduate which includes six different learning uh targets that they want students to be academically prepared, be a creative innovator, a critical thinker, effective communicator, a global citizen, and reflective and future focused. And they expect every student that graduates from New York State to exhibit these six qualities. When New York State talks about academically prepared, they're talking about students are demonstrating a strong foundation in New York State learning standards and is equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary
048to achieve success in college, career, civic engagement, service, and life. They want students to be creative innovators utilizing imagination, curiosity, and flexible thinking to solve problems creatively and develop new ideas and products while adopting to evolving circumstances and challenges. They also want them to be critical thinkers, being able to analyze information thoughtfully, evaluate evidence critically, and identify patterns and connections between different pieces of information, typically across multiple content areas to address complex issues and navigate the world with insight. They want students to also be effective communicators. They need to articulate ideas clearly and confidently through speaking, writing and other um and the use of different types of media for various purposes while engaging with diverse audiences and actively listening to different perspectives. They want New York State graduates to be a global citizen, act responsibly
049and ethically with local, global, and indigital communities employing civic knowledge, skills, mindsets, promote global sustainability and contribute positively to a culturally diverse democratic society. and they want them to be reflective in future focus. Engaging in self-reflection to identify strength in areas of growth sets meaningful goals, use of social awareness to maintain supportive relationships and demonstrate responsible decision-making that prioritizes social, emotional, and mental well-being. So, all in all, the New York State Portrait of Graduate will incorporate all six of these components starting with cohort 2023, which is the entering nth grade class next year. um and any year prior are still going to be the current diploma requirements, the 22 Carnegie credits and the five regist exams that students need in order to graduate. Then beginning in cohort 2024 um through 2026, we're going to have
050that one diploma where there's no longer going to be the advanced diploma, regions diploma, and local diploma. There'll be one standard diploma with different seals uh for different designations. um they're still going to have the current credit requirements of the 22 credits. Uh and the diploma assessment requirements will be decoupled by fall of 2027 according to New York State's timeline. Then beginning with the cohort of 2027 and 2028, we'll have the one diploma. We'll have the new credit requirements and we're going to see the sun setting of the diploma assessment requirements. And then beginning in the fall of 2029, those students entering 9th grade will have that statewide transcript uh as well as the one diploma type and have proficiency in both learning standards and the portrait of a graduate being required. And overall, New
051York State put out the timeline here beginning last year, them finalizing the portrait of a graduate. They did come out with the exemption um for major life events uh last year. and then this year um releasing the portrait of a graduate image and then moving forward with the next step being uh new credit requirements being phased in with the 2027 cohort. So, we're waiting on further guidance from New York State on what those new credit requirements are going to be so that we can kind of shape and mold our uh program to fit that. And then by fall of 2029, we'll have everything uh implemented including those new transcripts. I just ask a question really quick before we get off of this just to clarify the cohort. >> So this current year if you entered
052the high school as a nth grader you were in the 2025 2026 cohort. Yes. >> If you enter 9th grade Yes. >> Yes. >> Okay. So we're somewhere between here currently. >> Yes. >> Great box. >> Yeah. >> Middle gray box. >> Yeah. We're we're here. Okay. >> Yes. >> Thank you. >> It's blue up there. >> It's gray on hours. >> Uh, so we're currently in the middle of it. New York State's a little bit behind on their timeline that they initially rolled out. So, we're waiting on additional guidance from them in terms of what the new requirements are going to be moving forward. >> You may not have the answer to this question. I don't expect you to, but I know you probably have sat through a million meetings on this and you
053probably are more wellversed than any one could be. Do you get the sense that the so the regions assessments are going to go away? So there'll no longer be a distinction between a regular diploma and a region's diploma and it'll just be one diploma. And do you get the sense from your conversations that there will be like a specific number of seals that one must have like you know you'll have to have three different seals or three different um distinctions? Uh, no. There's currently no set number of distinctions from New York State. Uh, for the most part, it will probably most likely being one distinction because you will still have the opportunity on that one diploma to have a seal to represent a local regent or advanced regions diploma. So, regent regions exams are not
054going to be going away. They're still going to be in existence and kids are still going to be able to take them as part of certain courses and that could still be a traditional pathway for students to uh graduate high school. But the portrait of a graduate is also going to provide additional opportunities and different pathways for students to earn. Um >> so it could be an end or situation. >> Absolutely. >> Okay. >> So to be sure, we will not be getting rid of these regions exams. So everyone who is uh you know nervous about you know losing those that we've had for a century in New York State, we don't have to worry. We still can take the exams, right? >> Absolutely. The the regions exams will still be in existence for those
055regions level courses. Um and uh a couple of those regent exams are also tied to federal uh funding and federal um with the ESSA accountability uh for the the school districts, >> right? Because that's still required by the feds to you know have that type of assessments. Correct. Okay, great. >> So a child may still take the ELA regent exam, but they may be able to also de demonstrate partic uh proficiency in another way. So let's say they don't do as well on the regions exam, they still took it, but they can also demonstrate proficiency in other ways as as determined >> as we move forward with this process. >> Yeah, absolutely. And the the passing the exam would not be required for graduation. >> Right. And that's especially beneficial for a student coming from
056out of state who might have had a different set of criteria in their particular state and they'll be able to identify an alternative pathway so to speak that qualifies. >> Absolutely. Students coming from out of state, also students switching from private school back into public school also face that same um task where if you have someone from a private school transferring in in 11th grade, they still have to take those five REST exams over the course of the last two years that they're in high school, which >> you know tends to be a heavy lift, especially if they haven't been exposed to those courses in that curriculum. >> Right. Thank you. >> No problem. >> Again, oh, I'll let you finish. >> No, go ahead. >> I might be jumping the gun, so I'll I'll
057come back in at the end. I promise. No problem. Recently, New York State did pass um the next component of portrait of a graduate which would include personal finance and climate education uh being mandated uh for all students in New York State at different grade level bands. Uh personal financial education is going to uh start to be implemented next year in grades 5 through 12. Um and then the following year in grades K through four. Some of the key topics they want to make sure that every New York State student has before they graduate is budgeting, credit card and debt management, earning income, savings and investing as well as risk management. Um, and our goal is to embed that in existing coursework that we have at the high school and that's going to lead to
058some curriculum writing initiatives over this upcoming summer in grades 9 through 12. Uh we're going to cover this in courses such as economics, college and career financial management, financial algebra, and the new AP business with personal finance course. Uh in grades 5 through 8, there's going to be some curriculum writing going on in the family and consumer science courses um that the students take at the middle school. And the climate education will be rolling out in uh the 2728 school year for grades 5 through 12 and then K through 4 will be in the 2829 school year. Some of those key topics include causing uh the causes of climate change, impact of climate change, and solutions or actions to address climate change. That's going to be embedded within existing coursework. And we already have a
059lot of great courses that uh hit on these um very important topics such as um earth and space sciences, environmental science, and AP environmental science. And we'll be developing this more throughout the 2627 school year with a target of more curriculum writing in uh the summer of 27 to address these needs. So Huntington's kind of already poised with a lot of different um seals and pathways that already exist at the high school. Uh we have our seal of civic readiness, our seal of biiteracy. We're in the development of an individual arts assessment pathway that we're going to be rolling out at the beginning of next year. the we have our AP capstone uh diploma uh program. We have our CTE endorsements as well as our CDOS endorsements. And we currently have a lot of great
060career elective sequences uh already on the books in Huntington, including our fine arts pathway. We have a digital media pathway, our virtual enterprise courses tied with our new AP business and personal finance course. Uh we have a very robust computer science program, probably the most robust on Long Island. Um our science research, law, and education, all areas in which we have different uh elective sequences in to begin with. So moving forward, we're looking at kind of having uh starting off with five different pathways for students uh to choose in terms of career uh readiness. Uh the first one would be business entrepreneur and financial literacy. This can include um topics such as accounting and financial management, global business and entrepreneurship and career and technical education uh courses with STEM research and digital fluency which would
061take a look at our science research program, our engineering uh courses, our computer science program as well as the AP capstone diploma. We're looking at a global citizenship communication public policy pathway which would incorporate government and public policy also our seal of civic readiness uh world languages and our seal of bi literacy as well as law and criminal justice. We have our arts design and innovation which takes a look at our very in-depth arts program that we have at Huntington High School uh such as the fine arts um digital media. We have music performance and theory as well as our AAP that we'll be developing. And lastly, our fifth pathway would be the health sciences and behavioral studies where we would be taking a look at expanding our elective sequences in education, behavioral studies, uh,
062and, uh, medical, uh, sequence of courses to assist with um, overseeing these particular pathways. Um, we're looking at potential pathway adviserss. These adviserss will help support the implementation and development of the uh design designated uh New York State portrait of a graduate pathway at the high school level. Each adviser will serve as a liaison um for their assigned pathway promoting career exploration, academic enrichment and skill development aligned with the pathways focus. And what we really would want to take a look at are like um on a quarterly basis coming in with presentations from those career fields um and having um guest lecturers come in uh to these particular classes for uh the students to hear as well as uh providing some work-based learning opportunities as well as um in-depth career uh focus uh within these
063courses and pathways. Another part of this is we're going to be taking a look at our um career and technical education and exploring potential uh CTE opportunities that could be done in-house uh at Huntington High School. Um so we're in research and in-house CTE programs. We're looking at our partnership with Western Suffach Boseies to expand some CTE and work-based learning opportunities. the our expansion of our internship and work-based learning as well as their expansion of community partnerships as well. Now, the portrait, we kind of all focus on the high school, but the portrait of a graduate is really a K12 de developmental framework, and it is something that's going to be carried all the way from kindergarten all the way through 12th grade. Um, so what we're be taking a look at is different grade
064bands that we have here in Huntington and looking at a skill progression as we move through those different grade bands. So in grades K through three, we would be building our foundations which would examples of certain types of programs that we could include would be project-based learning, classroom jobs, and SEAL instruction embedded in literacy and math. In grades four through six, we would see skill development and application where we would be looking at research projects, debates, crosscurricular writing, service learning, and student led discussions in the classroom. Then towards the middle school in grades seven through eight, we'll have our exploration and identity um formation where we could begin with our capstone style projects, um career exploration units, student goal setting conferences, and civic engagement projects at the middle school level. And lastly, at the high
065school level in grades 9 through 12, we would have our mastery and demonstration. We would have our capstone project, our AP and college level coursework, our pathway endorsements, our workbased learning, and our civic engagement experiences. Um, and that would incorporate all six of those um key factors that New York State wants every student to have once they leave. those skills including the innovative problem solver, effective communicator, collaborative leader, global citizen, reflective and future focus, and a lifelong learner. And that's our goal to develop that K through 12 uh here in Huntington. So, our timeline here, which began prior to the summer of 2025, uh we had district representation, various state and local presentations. In the summer of 2025, the POG presentation to the Huntington uh administration in the fall of 2025 appointed a supervisor of
066pathway graduation measures in Portraduate. We've researched and reviewed various district offerings and plans including site visits uh and discussing with uh other um assistant superintendents curriculum and instruction and other directors in different uh districts on what they are implementing within their uh particular buildings and a preliminary alignment of courses and programs with the New York State portrait of a graduate competencies. Spring 2026, we're going to be taking a look at curriculum review and alignment uh to pathways in portrait of a graduate collaboration with Western Southern Boseies regarding CTE and work-based learning opportunities. Ongoing administrative collaboration where we're going to have committees of administrators come together to really examine the courses that we have on the books here um and examine if we have any additional courses that need to be um brought in or implemented
067to help support these particular pathways. Uh we're all also awaiting additional guidance from New York State in regards to the credit allocations and what this oneizefits-all transcript is going to look like uh for cohort 2029 and parent communications and student roll out of the Huntington portrait of a graduate and related information uh would be forthcoming and our future endeavors would include establishment of a graduation measures and path uh ways committees selection of pathway advisers, continuation of curriculum review and alignment to the pathways and PG alignment, expansion of partnerships, exploration of in-house CTE programs, promotion and branding of our pathways, uh continuation of parent and community communication regarding portrait of graduate updates, development of quarterly or periodic pathway related presentations from the field and ongoing implementation of New York State program updates. Do we have any
068questions? >> I told you I'd come back. Yeah. >> Um, so first I just want to make a comment and then I do have a question which is I think I'm excited about all of this. It feels to me like there's a lot of opportunity here. Um, and every time there's been presentations throughout the year about the seals that we're already offering or when we approve all these um, dual enrollment courses or when you speak now, it feels like Huntington is well prepared for this um, and well set up to really give our students a lot of opportunities as New York State moves in this direction. So that's congratulations, I guess, to everyone on the work you've already been doing. Um I also for families I want to remind people or tell you for the
069first time perhaps that if you follow the FAQ link that Dr. Papandria provided and scroll down to communication there is a parent thought exchange there. So if you have ideas that are important to you, you can kind of get involved in this conversation at the state level. Um and then my question for you Dr. Andrea is I guess I'm saying I'm excited about this, but I wonder how you're feeling going into this. Like where do you see places where there are real opportunities for our students? And on the flip side, what are the challenges that maybe apprehensive is a strong word um for, but challenges that we should be looking out for as New York State rolls out all of these phases? Well, I first want to say that I'm extremely excited about the opportunities
070uh that are affording our students uh going forward. I think that um a lot of the graduation requirements that we have from New York State are kind of, you know, many generations old and need some updating for the brand new world that we're living in. um and that we need to focus more on skill-based learning for our students to be able to transfer those skills to any type of job that you know they may be going into and particularly for jobs that may not even exist um you know currently. Um there's a majority of our students that are currently in high school right now that are going to be going into fields that we didn't even think were remotely possible. So we need to make sure that these students have the skills to be able
071to transfer those from one subject to another. And I think New York State's really hitting it off with this interdisciplinary work and this kind of career focus where students, you know, kind of really have a goal in mind. And I think that that really speaks to the heart of my philosophy on education is kind of building backwards. You want to know where you're going first and then you can kind of build everything kind of going back. And I think that New York State's really kind of putting that honess there that we're taking a look at the kids and what they want to do and then kind of building these pathways going back and affording opportunities for students who may have been disengaged in school uh at a younger age because the traditional pathway wasn't something
072that they were interested in. And now we have these opportunities for those students to remain engaged in school to be able to graduate and be able to move on to have very successful lives later on. So, I think that that's kind of one of the um things that I'm most excited about moving forward. In terms of challenges, I think any sort of change always presents challenges. You're going to have, you know, some people who are going to be apprehensive to the change because the anxiety of the unknown. And I think that that really is going to come from communication and making sure that we're communicating out our plans to everybody and making sure that everyone is well informed about what is on the horizons going forward because I think if people know what's coming, they're
073a little bit um more receptive to those uh particular changes and if they see what the goal is in mind, I don't think anyone's going to argue against providing more opportunities for students. >> Beautiful. Thank you. I just wanted to share also I think in the adjustments that we're making even that Miss Rothell presented at the last meeting um with the this the STEM and the civic readiness pieces at Finley. So kids are exposed to both. And having our intermediate schools where kids are exposed to STEM as well as learners who lead program and all of the other opportunities is really creating kids who come up with so many experiences that then by 10th grade they might say I'm very interested in this pathway. And one of the things I don't know if it was
074um clearly mentioned um is that the courses in our course catalog will be identified according to pathway. So that if a child says, "I'm interested in going into criminal justice, let's say, not the best example, but I would want to take criminal justice as my elective one and two, and then have other sequences that would continue through the junior and senior year." And then having assemblies and programming that will support that for that student. And then maybe after junior year, they might say, you know what, I'm not as interested in this as I thought, but I really was interested in STEM back in middle school. Maybe I want to go into that pathway. So, it's really trying to help kids so that then when they do graduate high school, they have a better understanding of
075where they want to go. Uh whether it's pursuing a a career right away or going to a college or university. Um we want to give them the tools to figure that out. And I think we have a lot of the pieces and it's really organizing it in a way that kids can identify better and families can identify better. And thank you very much for this presentation. >> Yes, it's not a problem at all. Yes, the goal is to try to communicate as clearly as possible throughout the curriculum guide as well as adding flowcharts and and visuals for students to really grasp of what the sequences are so that they uh can be fully invested and they can know exactly what's on the horizon for them moving forward where they can kind of plan out their
076entire high school careers. >> I I have a quick question. It's kind of in line with what um we were just talking or what you were just talking about in terms of the pathways and building backwards, which I really love. I've got a junior right now and I wish we had given that much thought to building back now as she's trying to craft what her narrative is going to be as she applies. But what about for the students that maybe have no idea and that was her um back when they're in ninth grade or even eighth grade and entering and picking their schedule? What would a pathway look like for that student that doesn't yet know? >> Yeah. Uh so I think one of the goals is for these um pathway advisors to be running
077those quarterly uh presentations so that kids would be exposed to that. So kids not necessarily within those pathways could attend those to gauge their interest uh about those particular career pathways. Um as well as uh our school counselors would also help with um deter you know helping the students determine what they're interested in uh what their career aspirations are and try to lean them in towards that way. But our goal is in ninth grade to kind of expose students to kind of liberal arts so they get a little exposure of everything and then as they progress higher into the higher grade levels that they would be more specialized within those particular uh fields that they're interested in. >> Great. And then if they did um want to change if they did realize I'm no longer
078interested in criminal justice can they switch to a different pathway and explore other Yeah, >> absolutely. Yeah, we would be flexible with that because, you know, we are dealing with teenage teenagers and we can't expect them, you know, every single kid to make the decision for the rest of their lives, you know, at the age of, you know, 14 or 15. So, we want to afford that flexibility for students to be able to switch if they feel that they're no longer interested in a particular career path. >> Great. I've got two more questions. I'll be quick. um the pathway that the arts design and innovation does that take into account the classes that would be taken at the Long Island School of the Arts that we're partnered with, would they be able to count towards
079this as well? >> We haven't really flushed that those particular details out just yet. Um we would have to explore, you know, with those particular programs and you know, as long as they earn the CTE endorsement, that would be something that we would be, you know, open to. >> Yeah. Okay. And my last question was about the CTE and there's a lot of talk um in the presentation and as you've mentioned that it's it is being fleshed out right now but that is that something that you've given I'm sure you've given thought to it but is there any plan now like how they would how those students would graduate would they fulfill um the graduation requirements based on the standards that you're seeing kind of being established right now >> yes the CT pathways would
080be um particularly we um are set up through New York State as a particular um sequence of courses that would align with a particular pathway. Um so right now our CTE would either be housed under one of these particular pathways or the CT or based off the CTE program that they're they're involved in. So um if it's a medical CTE pathway might fall under the medical um pathway. >> Perfect. Great. Thank you so much. So, I really appreciated the uh presentation, a lot of depth. I really love how Huntington has built all of these alternative pathways uh to, you know, really take advantage of the population uh that we have here and the and the skills and um you know, interest of the students. But for those people who've you know kind of uh been
081through this you know listening to say that I know while this is a state initiative I know the uh a portrait of a graduate we've heard things on the federal level where we've been told you know uh no child left behind and then race to the top um where it was very assessment based and that's a whole other controversy that's there but for some people um there's um I guess a degree of uh what they might think is a standard a particular standard Um, now I don't think this I think this is a wonderful presentation, but how would you address individuals who said by taking away regions exams that we've had for over a century here in New York State as the way in which to graduate from high school that we're not watering down
082the curriculum, but that this is actually a more positive step towards a richer curriculum. I think one of the things is highlighting the current educational research um that shows that project based and inquiry based learning in the classroom helps develop these skills that students are going to be able to transfer to be successful uh later in life. There is a ton of literature, ton of data out there that supports that when learning is designed around a student centered focus within the classroom, kids are going to perform much better and meet and exceed those standards as opposed to your traditional testing. and re and and reach a lot more students as a result of that. >> Absolutely. >> Yeah. Right. Thank you. >> Thank you so much, Dr. Pep Papandrea. Um I I just want to
083commend our cabinet um for being so forwardinking and I understand that this restructuring that we're undergoing was a huge lift, but this really scaffolds and dovtales really nicely into what we're seeing here. Um, and to your point, to have kids coming up in, you know, K through six really with this type of project based learning and hands-on sort of skill, uh, acquirement, um, is only going to help get them to where their pathway might be. Kelly, that was kind of my whole point of it. Um, I just had a quick question about the the advisor role, what that looks like. Is that just a purely like a point person or is it like a a a coordinator kind of a thing or a >> or you don't know yet? You might not know yet. >>
084Yeah, we're still flushing out details regarding those advisor positions. However, the adviser would kind of oversee that particular pathway would set up uh these learning um um >> presentations and workshops and and different um >> um >> I'm sorry I'm losing my train. >> Panel discussions. panel discussions and >> you know uh setting up the the pathway so the students are exposed to as many possible things within that particular career pathway as possible. Um we can set up different uh career days um guest speakers um and setting up different programs uh aligned around that and they would help kind of um provide presentations to students about what their pathway entails, what uh future jobs and careers would be within that particular pathway and then also help monitor um you know students you know completing you
085know the progress within the pathway. >> That's awesome. It sounds like it really is and to to your point Tom kind of with their concern from from people and I've heard those voices too being concerned that we're watering down or to me this seems like we're identifying at an earlier age what somebody's strengths might be and then from there um really giving them the ability to customize their education and you know offering more flexibility. So I think this is great. >> I think that's the key. The flexibility is what's really going to help out our students in the long run. >> Awesome. Thank you so much. >> No problem. Thank you very much. I really appreciate the opportunity to speak with you tonight. >> Terrific. >> Oh, budget presentation. My favorite part. >> Dr. for
086one second. Is everybody still awake? Okay. So, uh tonight I'm going to go through revenue and a brief budget um overview. Uh the first slide is revenue at a glance. Uh a couple of things to draw your attention to the tax levy at 2.76% is included here which is uh a very large source of revenue. The other large source of revenue for us is state aid in which you will see a net decrease of over $900,000. I'm going to dive into the actual state aid information on a future slide. Um, but I just wanted to draw your attention there so you are understanding where I'm going as I continue through. Um, something else. If you drop down to inner fund transfers, as you know, this was the last year that we actually had a debt
087payment. We utilized our debt service reserve fund to offset that. So, that is not something that continues forward. But the expense side has also went away as well. Um, and then you will see that appropriated fund balance and reserve utilization have increased. Um, with the loss of over a million dollars, it's probably closer to 1.3 in the expense driven aid area. Um, the cost drivers continuing to increase and then uncertainty due to the state uh not providing an on-time budget. We are increasing the utilization of our appropriated fund balance and reserves to be able to preserve student programming and provide some stability there. These are all things that we continue to look over. Um as referenced if the state approves a budget I I don't know in the next 3 days or 4 days uh
088we will take those things into consideration but we still have to move forward with our own process. So um at the last meeting and I think every meeting we kind of discussed the tax levy uh limit. I usually include a chart I explain per.1% this is what it equals. So tonight you will see a proposed limit of 2.76%. This puts us within our cap. So it does not require a supermajority. We are not exceeding. And then you will see the total appropriated fund balance and reserve utilization being about 4.4 million. Um it does show in the event that the board did not agree with this uh proposal and they'd like to see something different. This just kind of explains if we went to 2.5% and 2.25%. Each time we go down with what we levy,
089it requires a greater lean or um usage of our reserves and fund balance. This is a nice uh graphic of where we have been historically and where we see ourselves for 2627. Um so you will see the appropriated fund balance amount and reserves along with the total. the total being the gold or yellowish line. Um you will also see that in 2020 2021 we were at our highest utilization of 5.5. Uh you will see that downward trend and that really happened due to the fact that foundation aid was being phased in. We no longer have that uh phase in occurring. Um as you know we are save or hold harmless. So right now the only thing being expressed that we are due is 1%. Uh there is still discussion forthcoming regarding an additional 1% increase
090but really uh the funds are coming from the community. So we are trying to be due diligent um in our planning of offsetting the loss with reserves but also planning what the future looks like. So, as we weaned through weeks and weeks, it it's felt like years, but uh over the last couple of weeks, we've really taken all of those things into consideration before proposing anything. This next slide uh just shows a breakout. Uh as you saw on the very first slide, it said that we were going to increase appropriated fund balance. We were increasing the utilization of reserves. This provides a 2526 verse what we anticipate for 2627. Um the notes really just provide a a little bit of additional detail because when you utilize reserves you cannot utilize more from the reserve than
091you are actually planning to spend. So I think it's important for the budgeted expense to be shown there so that you do know the amount that we are utilizing is actually appropriate um and not over what we budgeted. Um the thing to note here uh as we continue through this process as I've stated is in the event that the state does provide more um aid. So that would be in the area of foundation aid prior to the budget being adopted we would make adjustments here. In the event that they do not that money kind of falls to fund balance you would use less money. Right? So we're only going to utilize what is actually necessary. uh but we have to get a budget that is approved that is within the limits and supports the possibility
092of the expenses. Okay, so a deeper dive into state aid. Hold on. Okay, I want to make sure I was on the correct slide. So, as I referenced, you do see the increase in foundation aid. Um, as it's a little bit over 1% based on what we budgeted for last year because the budget was also not on time last year when we uh approved it. Um, so it's a little bit more than 1%. Um, transportation and BOSIES have both went down. has explained we lost about 6 cents on the dollar which does not seem uh to be too much until you're looking at it tsing that by millions. Um so we have lost about 21.5% in just those two expensed driven aid categories and then the decreases that you see in hardware technology software library
093textbook is based on the actual enrollment. So as enrollment goes down, those aid categories go down. Uh there is some slight increases in the high excess cost aid. So that is dealing with uh students with disabilities. So that's just the filing of the information. As those expenses go up each year, it's there's a formula, but we will receive more aid. Um and then building aid is in alignment with our capital project and us filing final cost reports. I do anticipate building aid maybe being a little bit higher, but I need to make sure projects are completed on time for that aid to flow in. This chart has not changed um since the last meeting. I think the one thing that I always like to bring uh your attention to is in the 312026 balance that
094does include interest up until March 1st and the 630 2026 balance does not include any uh refunding of reserves. So that does not occur until the audit happens. Uh at that time when the board approves the audit, there is usually a reserve allowance uh that gets approved by the board that we create a whole multi-page uh listing for detailed information and then that will also include the interest from 31 and beyond for the school year. So I'm going to do some highlights. we will uh talk about the current adopted verse proposed and then the two props. So budget highlights uh this budget aligns with our strategic plan. It maintains MTASS mental health PBIS and RTI supports. Um, it supports different courses across our K through 12 uh buildings including high school PE choice, virtual enterprise,
095video broadcasting. Um, it allows us still to maintain appropriate class sizes, electives, and advanced placements. It still includes upgrades uh and enhancements to our district facilities. a summer school for uh the elementary students and freshman seminar are still included as well as the implementation of our intermediate building plans and full staffing for those programs uh research planning and development for new courses and we are up and running and I don't hear too many complaints though knock on wood regarding uh the parent app Mr. Hender may say something different but um I think that's going well. So even though um we were charged to do it feels more with less uh we still are able to maintain all these things. So that that's wonderful. So this is the proposed budget at a glance. Um a couple
096of things I'm just going to bring your eyes to. Uh you will see here that debt service as mentioned we no longer have the debt payment that has been removed completely. Uh there's been a slight change in utilities but that's just uh him moving funds around to other accounts but it shows here and then the rest of it is just our contractual needs. So, uh, weeks prior, we've went through each area of the budget. We've discussed this in detail, but this is a nice, uh, snip of where we currently stand. All right, this is the one I had a lot of things to say. I got them messed up. All right, so this is the proposed budget for 2627. it is being compared here to 2526 just to provide a clear view of what has
097occurred. Um I think something to um note that is that this budget is proposed um and it is appropriate within our tax levy capacity. It is appropriate in servicing our students um but it does require us to use more from uh reserve and fund balance. We will continue to do everything we can as we move year to year to review these things, making sure that we are meeting the needs of our students, but also doing our fiduciary responsibility. Um, one thing to bring your eyes to is last year's budget to budget was almost $5.5 million. This year it's only 3.2 two million budget to budget which has been through sorry which has been through a lot of thoughtful planning um creative thought strategic planning forward thinking uh ways that we could adapt to really keep
098as much as we could but also being very mindful of our community in the tax base. So, some state budget updates. I don't have many. Um, as you know, April 1st is the statutory deadline. Uh, I do not believe we've met this deadline in the last four or five years, maybe even a little bit further back. Um, right now the extension is now placed through April 14th, tomorrow. Um, I do not anticipate getting an updated uh budget tomorrow, but maybe they will surprise me. Uh this lists some of the things that are currently still being discussed that are holding that up which which includes tax heights, the 2019 climate leadership and community protection act. Uh some disagreements over educational funding formulas and uh potential changes in should say car not care. So car insurance laws
099and social policy initiatives. Our draft budget includes the information that was provided to us uh via the state as of January. Um and as mentioned, we will continue with our process. Um if there is no update by April 21st, we will adopt as is. And if the legislative budget includes any increases in revenue, we will look at our fund balance in reserves. So this is the proposed budget uh as it stands today as well as proposition two being the uh capital project. Sorry, my brain went blank. Um and it's important to note that voters uh must approve annually anytime we release monies from our capital reserve. Um these funds are already located in the capital reserve and these this project also has no additional impact on tax levy or the tax rate. Our next meeting
100is going to be April 21st. Uh so we'll see you in a week. Um, the budget hearing is May 11th and then please come out for the budget vote on the 19th at Huntington High School from 8 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Any questions? Thank you so much. Your presentations are always so thorough. Um it's so difficult when you look at now living this my fifth year on the board to understand the different buckets that you have to you know work within the confines of and it's I'm sure very frustrating that in your tenure so far we have not had a state budget that has been released on time. So um I appreciate all your effort and thank you. Anybody have any questions? >> Thank you. Okay, that brings us to CSE and CPSSE. It is
101upon recommendation from the superintendent of schools that the board of education approve cseps submissions as delineated. Motion John second. Tom, did you need something Mr. Gek? No, >> you stole my line. >> Oh, I'm so sorry. This is Hey, listen. This is my first rodeo. Okay. Or maybe it's my second. But either way, sorry. >> I only had one line. >> You want a doover? >> No. Thank you though. >> Does anybody have any questions? >> Okay. All in favor? >> Sorry, Mr. Kuzac. >> Okay. This is Chris's line. Sorry. >> All right. Thank you. >> Go for it. It is upon recommendation from the superintendent of schools that the board of education approve personnel items on schedules 3, 5, 8, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, and 22. Does anybody have any questions? Can I
102get a motion? Jenna and Tom, any have any questions? All in favor? Great. Dr. Harris. >> It is upon recommendation from the Superintendent of Schools that the board of education approves business items I through N. Can I have a motion, please? Jenna Kelly. All in favor? Any questions, comments? I should have said no. Great. That brings us to our donations. Annie, would you like to Okay, I happily share the donations tonight. First being a thank you to Miss Mary Bard who is presenting a donation of a fivepiece Yamaha stage custom drum set to the Huntington music department. This donation has an approximate value of $500. We say thank you to my missard. In addition, Miss Teresa Man is presenting a donation of miscellaneous fabric to the Huntington High School fashion and art department, which will
103be very useful. The donation has an approximate value of $500. Thank you so much. Miss Beverly Guida is presenting a donation of various discontinued fabric samples to the again the high school fashion art department. This donation also has an approximate value of $300. Thank you so much. Miss Gail Lodge is presenting a donation of foreign coins, costumes, and vintage hats to the Huntington High School Art Department and Drama Club. It has an appro approximate value of $165. Thank you. And lastly, the South P South Down Primary School PTA is presenting a donation of $2,500 to which will be used to offset the cost of upcoming field trips. Thank you so much. Thank you, Annie. And that brings us to our second public commentary of the evening. Again, public commentary is open to employees and residents
104of the district. You are limited to three minutes non-transferable per person with a maximum of 30 minutes for discussion. Um public commentary is your opportunity to address any um concerns. Your input is valued. It will not be a back and forth between the board and and the public. Um rather just an opportunity to speak. Um does anybody have any desire to speak? Okay. Um I guess any final comments by anyone for the evening from my board members, fellow board members. All right, then I'll take a motion to adjurnn. Jenna again, second from John. >> All in favor? Thank you. Have a great night.