001Good evening. March 17th board meeting. Thank you all for coming down. We're September uh 17th. What did I say? March September. Um, we're going to have the Pledge of Allegiance and then we're going to have the national anthem sung by our own Talia Rosen, senior member of the Soponic Honors Choir and president of the Oceanside High School Swing Cars and Select Choir. Please stand. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Say [Music] by the dawn early light. What so proudly we held at the twilight last stripes and bright stars through the perilous we were so gallent and the rockets the bombs in proof through the night that our flag was still
002there. Oh, say that star spangled [Music] for the land of the free. [Music] >> A moment of silence, please. If we can remember all our troops that are out there fighting for our freedom, our Nassau County Police Department, our Roside Fire Department, all our first responders, and of course all our family friends that have with us. Okay, please be seated. Continued applause there for. So, at this particular time, we turn the board meeting over to uh Brian RLusco. And Brian, if you can take us through this uh high school government representatives, that'd be great. >> Definitely. Thank you. Uh yeah, I would like to invite up Matthew Copel, Jeremiah McDow, and Macy Bronner. Thank you. First off, I would like by saying the academic year began successfully. Students are adjusting well to their new classes
003and routines. They also reconnecting with their friends, adjusting to new school policies, and getting involved in school events. The in the incoming ninth graders were welcomed through orientation, our senior mentoring classes, as well as building tours to ease the transition to high school. The fall sports season has launched with our boys varsity soccer team winning 3 0 against Valley Stream, our varsity golf team winning 9-0 against Smash Miniola, and our varsity football team winning 51-6 against Unionale, and varsity boys volleyball winning five sets against Farmdale. Students are adapting well to new electronic device policy. While it's difficult for some, the classrooms feel more focused with fewer distractions and students are more engaged from the number. Overall, the policy appears to be successful, reducing interruptions both inside and outside the classroom. Our upcoming events start with
004homecoming spirit week, which is one of the best weeks at Oceanside High School where every day there is a different theme for students to dress up and show their school spirit. Pep rally, where the sports teams of the fall season are introduced, and it's a real kickoff to the season and gets everyone excited for what's to come. saving the best for the homecoming game, which everyone loves, and being involved in showing our school spirit. Those are scheduled for later this month with strong student anticipation for all events. Starting this week, we have college rep visits getting students ready for college application process, as well as upcoming senior meetings with our guidance counselors, making sure everything is complete and ready on Common App. The school will be hosting its annual club fair tomorrow after school in
005the OS cafeteria, giving students the opportunity to explore and join a variety of extracurricular clubs. Students are excited to learn about new activities, connect with peers, and get involved in the school community. The high school is hosting its back to school night on September 25th, fostering communication between parents and teachers as the students begin to settle into their new schedules. >> Uh, thank you. And I just have one more quick thing to say. Hey, I would just like to start by saying thank you to the board and Dr. Harrington for being so welcoming. This has been an honor so far to be sitting here and I would just like to talk quickly just about the leadership cons the leadership consortium I went to by Boseies for other student leaders in Nassau County. The first day
006was at the Boseies outdoor campus where they had student representatives participate in team building activities which included putting us on a rock climbing wall which was a new experience for a lot of us. The second day was learning about the board of education and how it runs, including a mock board meeting as well as learning how to read the budget. It was an awesome experience and will be something I will carry for the rest of my life. Thank you. We have anybody else? That's it. Okay. Thank you very much for that. Um, now we're at uh 4B, which is the 2526 district goals. Dr. Harington. >> Sure. Before I begin that portion of the meeting, I just do want to acknowledge our students. I think our board and certainly our community at this point knows
007we hear it best when we hear from the students and I really do appreciate the comments that were made about the electronic device policy. And I have to just say from day one, um, we had high expectations for our students, but with very good reasons. So, um, kudos to everyone that was involved with that and of course obviously our teachers who helped support the policy, but the truth of the matter is it's working because the students get it and we do appreciate very very much your understanding and cooperation with that. So, thank you for that and you will be role models for all others to come know that. With that being said, um, this is the year that the time of year that we go over our district goals that are established for the new
008school year. I think our community is very used to this process because it's very cyclical. We begin um by outlining new goals but how uh but please know that they the process for determining what those goals are going to be are decided well before uh months before actually and it's a collaborative effort between teachers and administrators and of course our leadership team and ultimately our district um a number of years ago decided to put the the district goals in a variety of buckets. Those included curriculum and instruction, professional learning, technology, community outreach, facilities and operations, communication, social and emotional literacy, and meeting the needs of all learners. We're going to review uh in some detail what these goals are going to be for this year. And please know that throughout the year, we will find
009different points at which to give updates on how we're working towards these goals. and then some point of the in the spring, the latter very part of the spring, we will give a final report on how the the district has done in meeting these goals. With that being said, I'm going to ask the program to begin by um in the area of curriculum, instruction, and assessment. And I turn the microphone over to Miss Pito. >> Thank you, Dr. Harrington. At the core of our work, we believe that curriculum, instruction, and assessment must provide a challenging, engaging, and meaningful education for all students. Our 2025 2026 goals build on that belief and focus on creating rigorous aligned learning experiences across every grade level. This year we are implementing advanced placement seminar 10th grade English. This is
010a course that gives students early exposure to college level research analysis and presentation skills. Teachers have already completed College Board endorsed training and work together to design a curriculum that prepares students for success in AP and beyond. We are also expanding our commitment to the New York State Computer Science and Digital Fluency Standards. This year, Kid Oyo, which is a coding platform where students solve realworld projectbased challenges, will be fully integrated into grades six through 8, building computational thinking and problem solving skills at the elementary level. This year we are beginning the development of a digital badge pathway through our digital discoveries program which introduces students to computer science, digital citizenship and safety and creative technology applications. Students will be able to earn badges as they build their skills in grades one through six. Together
011these initiatives create a strong foundation for digital fluency. In literacy, we are refining workstations for our small group instruction. This promotes foundational reading skills, fluency in particular, in partnership with our consultant and national expert, Dr. Chris Parker. These efforts are part of our response to intervention and multi-tiered systems of support framework that's commonly known as RTI MTSS. and our means. This is our means to ensure that all students get the right support at the right time so they can grow into strong readers. We are also moving into the final phase of the elementary program words their way. We are adding additional engaging evidence-based practices that strengthen phonics, spelling, and vocabulary. Teacher leaders have worked throughout the summer to enhance curricular resources and we are providing professional development to support the new additions and to further
012the high quality literacy instruction taking place across all classrooms. In mathematics, we are introducing the New York State Education Department numeracy briefs to all K through2 staff. These researchbased guides define what strong math instruction looks like and offer practical strategies for building students mathematical thinking across every grade level. And for our youngest learners, we are adopting the BGAN screener in universal preK, giving teachers actionable data to inform class placement and personalized instruction from day one. Together, these initiatives create a clear through line, aligning challenging and meaningful learning experiences from preK all the way through graduation so every single student in Oceanside is prepared to thrive. I'd like to acknowledge our curriculum and instruction directors, our principles, and our faculty who work with expertise, passion, and commitment to bring these goals to life and keep Oceanside
013a model of innovative and outstanding education. Our commitment to rigorous learning goes hand in hand with supporting every student. Our executive director of special education, Miss Tracy Murray, will now share our goals for meeting the needs of all learners. >> Thank you, Mrs. Pito. And good evening, everyone. At the core of Oceanside's mission is our belief that every program must meet the needs of all learners so that every student can reach their highest potential with equitable opportunities across the district. This year we are moving forward with several key initiatives in special education. Phase two of our multiensory reading program spire will deepen impact by enhancing datadriven instruction, building team capacity through training, and aligning with Dr. Chris Parker's MTSS model for progress monitoring. We are also reviewing universal screening tools for our special class students
014to ensure stronger alignment to growth and access in less restrictive environments. For our integrated co-eing program, we are completing the final phase of our elementary paradigm, expanding collaboration with the early learning center, and beginning phase one of secondary ICT with a focus on data collection and program review. Through our culturally responsive education and equity advisory, CRE, we are advancing phase two of authentic grading and assessment at the secondary level and strengthening responsive classroom practices in elementary schools to support belonging and academic success. At Oceanside High School Castleton, we are enhancing postsecary planning by expanding CTE pathways, internships, and personalized guidance so that every student leaves with clear with a clear plan for their future. Together, these initiatives reflect our belief that we are always better together and united in our commitment to meeting the needs
015of all learners. I'd now like to introduce Dr. D. Rosa who will share our professional learning and social and emotional literacy goals. Thank you, Mrs. Murray. Our ongoing commitment to professional learning reflects our belief that when we invest in our staff, we invest in the success of every student. This year, we are proud to build on that promise with several exciting initiatives that strengthen teaching, learning, and student well-being across Oceanside. One of our major areas of focus is executive functioning. These are the skills that help students succeed not only in life, but in school, but in life. Time management, organization, planning, and self-regulation form the foundation that allows students to meet academic challenges and grow as independent, capable individuals. This year, we are providing professional development that helps staff integrate executive function strategies more intentionally
016into daily instruction. By strengthening these skills, we are preparing our students not only for strong academic outcomes, but also for the demands of college careers and their future lives. We are also very excited to highlight our new partnership with Long Island University. Through this collaboration, we have welcomed seven teaching fellows who are certified teachers and recent graduates. Each fellow is placed in one of our elementary schools where they provide direct support in reading and math while also engaging in a year of intensive professional development under the direction of Miss Jessica Keegan, our director of elementary teaching and learning. The fellows receive weekly coaching and mentoring and have the opportunity to work side by side with our staff. This initiative is a true partnership. It enhances the growth of our elementary students through additional support and
017it strengthens the teaching profession by giving these fellows a chance to refine their practice in a supportive environment. Finally, we continue to pri prioritize social and emotional literacy. We know that our students need more than academic preparation. They also need strategies to navigate the stressors of everyday life. Our multi-tered approach to dialectical behavioral therapy provides students with concrete tools to manage emotions, cope with challenges, and build healthy relationships. Staff at every level have been trained in these practices and they continue to weave them into the daily life of our schools. This work reflects our belief that social and emotional growth is inseparable from academic growth in preparing students to thrive. Together, these initiatives reflect Oceanside's unwavering commitment to excellence in teaching and learning. By investing in our staff, strengthening executive functioning, and supporting social and
018emotional literacy, we are providing our students the skills to succeed not only today, but in every step of their future. It is now my pleasure to introduce Anna Polloccast, our executive director of technology. Thank you, Dr. D. Roza. At the heart of our technology goal is a simple idea. Technology should never replace good teaching. It should strengthen it. Our goal is for technology to be seamlessly woven into classroom best practices, helping teachers do what they already do well while giving students new ways to learn and create. One major area of focus is artificial intelligence. We're entering the second year of our K through2 AI initiative where we are deepening our use of magic school and introducing Google Gemini. This phase is about more than just new tools. It's about making sure AI is thoughtfully embedded
019in lessons, helping teachers plan and students learn in meaningful ways. We are providing professional development for staff and setting clear expectations for AI use. Our curriculum will include cons instruction on artificial intelligence and developing skills to use it both effectively and ethically ethically. Our hope and dream is to foster critical thinking, encourage responsible decision-making, and prepare our students for the digital world they're inheriting. Another important goal this year is strengthening literacy using new educational software. We are introducing LitLab, an online platform in grades K through six. This program is aligned with the science of reading and provides resources for teaching phonics, fluency, and practice with decodable texts. Lit lab gives teachers more tools for small groupoup instruction and creates engaging opportunities for our youngest learners to build confidence and a strong foundation as readers. Together,
020these initiatives reflect our commitment to ensuring that technology in our schools is not about gadgets or trends, but about giving every student the skills, opportunity, and confidence they need to succeed. And now, Dr. Harrington will share the community outreach and communication goals. Thank you. It is no surprise that our school district feels very strongly in continually to reach out to our community in a number of ways and to help them grow intellectually, socially, and rec recreationally. We are we continue to be incredibly proud of the work of our OSD parent university which is really something that is a collaborative effort between our uh our our team led by Miss Pito and our parent members. This year in particular um we want to focus on workshops that support parents in raising healthy well-balanced children. So there
021will be topics that will include and be aligned to the current research on cell phone and social media use uh as we move certainly to of cell phone free schools. But in addition based on the survey we completed in June of 2025 there will be sessions on artificial intelligence responsive classroom as well as executive function. And again I thank the efforts of all the members of the parent university committee. In addition, in terms of outreach, special education is continually finding ways to reach out to its parent population. We're going to continue to offer workshops that address the unique needs of students of parents with students with disabilities, but we're going to be hosting workshops including three preschool focused workshops as well as monthly parent trainings specifically for families of students in the sales and ACE
022programs. Communication is always a a belief of ours that we continually look for ways to improve that. And to that end, the uh community is well aware that the board transitioned a number of years ago to a digital platform that you're looking at on the screens above uh known as board docs. This communication uh device has given the board much more um ability to be accessible and transparent to our community in an easier and more efficient uh way. We are hoping to move to board docs upgrade which will be known as the diligent community platform. Uh we're just waiting for them to reach out to us to say they're ready to take us on as we transition to that next stage. And again it's just to improve on a program we currently have in place.
023And finally, in terms of communication, a goal again of the special education department is continually to find ways to improve access to parents and that will include going completely paperless. This gives um parents an opportunity to receive documents in a very very timely fashion. Uh which of course is very very important given um the need to have those documents to make informed conversations with the with the teachers and administrators. Uh with that I turn uh the rest of the program over to Dr. Kley. >> Thank you Dr. Harrington. In the area of facilities and operations, the district has been undergoing some important capital improvements over the last few years. One of the goals this year uh at school 6 is to reclaim space that was previously occupied by an external organization. We have already begun
024working on this goal that will ultimately support our early learning center with five additional instructional spaces for students. The work includes new flooring, a new ceiling grid, new univvents, and brand new cubbies for storage, which will be ready next year. With the community's ongoing support, this past summer, our two capital projects have both begun. Over at school number three, the turf is now fully installed for our students to enjoy. At our high school, our the tennis courts are now fully completed with their renovation. The goal for the turf projects is to have both the baseball and softball turf installed and ready for the upcoming spring season for our student athletes. With respect to our other project known as phase five, the goal is to have the interior foundation and shell of the new brick and
025mortar in place as well as beginning the reconstruction of the existing classrooms to convert them into a new auto shop as well as a modernized wood shop. The district is near full completion with its implementation of the energy performance contract which includes 11 energy conservation measures which include LED interior and exterior lights, solar panels on all school campuses, building weatherization improvements, steam trap upgrades, plug load controls, boiler burner controls, among others. This year, the goal is to fully close out the EPC while also exploring ideas and proposals for a potential second phase of an energy performance contract. Once completed and closed out with the state education department, all projects will begin will be will bring additional building aid to back to the district, which will help offset revenue in future years to reduce the financial
026burden on our taxpaying community. And finally, in the area of safety and security, as we do each year, several professional development opportunities are in place for all district-wide security personnel. This includes upcoming trainings on CPR, AED, stop the bleed, situational awareness, and tabletop exercises. With each training led by external partners, including the Oceanside Fire Department, Northwell Health, Nassau County Police, the Department of Homeland Security, and of course, our partners, the Alteras Consulting Group. The district keeps security as a top priority and is fully committed to training all staff with the most up-to-date information and best practices. >> Thank you, Dr. Kley. So, I think um I hope the board and community can appreciate the breadth and depth of these goals and um it's obvious then I would hope that these cannot be done in isolation.
027They must be a collaborative effort and we really take very seriously the concept of Oceanside schools better together. I would like to let the community know that the full document that goes into detail just as we did discussed this evening is a document that uh is and will be available on our district website. They will live uh there all year long and you can hold us accountable for any one of those goals at any given time. But as I had said earlier, we will be reviewing continually as we do where we are in progress towards achieving these goals. At this time, Mr. Dmbrosio, I'll entertain any questions any board members may have. Any board member would like to have any questions regarding go ahead Mr. Kaplan >> on slide number five under professional learning it
028has the second bullet is executive function professional development is that learning how to work with students that have executive function issues or is we talking something different? >> It's for the general um student population. So all students learn strategies to help them with things such as organization, time management, even studying. So, it really is a general set of skills that are supportive of that. >> You're welcome. >> Anybody else? I just have one question for Dr. Hley on the EPC contract. Eventually, we'd be able to get the cost savings that we that are current. I mean that I mean we have we have all our schools almost running basically. Can you elaborate on that on >> on our elementary schools and our high school? Ultimately the answer would be yes with the um only thing
029is that two of our schools um the nine complex and the high school are not fully online with the connection to the solar panel grid. So you don't have um we need at least a year's worth of data to know how much we had typically budgeted for ultimately into how much we're saving. But we do we did see a substantial reduction in utility savings with that. We don't have a full year's worth of all of the components because we're not fully completed. Um part of the EPC is um the district gets what's known as an MNV measurement and verification guaranteed for three years by the contractor. Obviously once the completion is fully completed that starts the clock of the three years. So obviously because we're not fully completed we have not begun that point. Is
030it possible to say that during the day our elementary schools the smaller buildings are running almost free but we can't >> uh depending >> nice thing to say but I don't know >> depending on the exposure to the sun uh and and how much is built up and Mr. Transom I know you can help me with this um it it does depend but that has been um a reality for sure. >> So that can that Mr. Yes, you actually could. Uh, but we'd have to set it up so we can test it over two months or so. So, we have to be able to gather the data because it we did prove it with the uh uh less solar uh uh last year. We had an electrical savings that was uh correct me if I'm
031wrong, five or $600,000, something like that. >> Yep. >> So, we know that that little bit is going to be exponentially a lot more when the middle school and high school go in. It's primarily in the solar, but the weatherization and the lighting was a big savings and that's what's measured in that 600,000. That's a that's a significant savings and I' I'd bank on that anytime with the money that we spent. >> Perfect. Thanks a lot, Mr. Transit. And Mr. >> Thank you, Mr. Sol. >> Yeah. Uh Dr. Kley, just to clarify, the beauty of the EPC uh contract was that any cost savings that we incurred because of the contract would go to pay the vendors for the cost of making all the upgrades. And then once we're done with them, any revenue then
032goes back into reducing the cost of our operation budget. >> That is correct. with one um additional benefit >> once. So the project what you're saying is the project is self- sustaining which you're absolutely the project pays for itself. Ultimately the savings that come from this the the utilities the electric etc ultimately reduce how much we need to budget in subsequent budget years for utility codes. But the additional benefit is because this energy performance contract is recognized by the state education department as a capital project. We the benefits as a self- sustaining project of bringing additional building aid which is approximately 40 cents of the dollar for us. >> I just wanted to clarify that for people to understand the the beauty of this EPC contract. It was a very creative and unique idea. Um
033thank you Dr. Harrington for bringing that to us because I think you discovered some other districts that were doing it before us and um it it was a it was really a great suggestion uh because No, it does. It avoids all these having to bond and all this other stuff. We're we're doing it slowly, but we're paying for it ourselves through our savings. >> That's correct. >> Thank you. >> We could have done that work without Mr. Powaskki, of course, every morning coming to us about solar power. >> Uh so we're going to go now to uh 4C, which the enrollment for uh September of 2025. Dr. Harrington. >> Yes, thank you. So, um I believe we will have our numbers up there, but um what I do want to point out, this is a
034report that we make every September obviously to give the board and community an update where we are comparing to where we were last year at this time. Obviously, this is a fluid document. I have to tell you it literally changes every day. Um we but I look at it on a monthly basis. When there are significant u points that must be made to the board, I will bring it to the board. But suffice to say, as you look at this, um, if you look at the just the, uh, the the top bucket, those are the elementary schools from UPK through 9E. And as you can see, we're two students more than we were in the beginning of September 204. I am going to address the kindergarten numbers at the end of this, but just know
035um, pretty much we stayed on track across each and each building. I also want to remind the board that we had done an enrollment study a number of years ago and then we did an update to it when we were doing the capital reserve project. I traced those numbers and I have to say in some cases they were spot on like the exact number that they predicted um we were going to have in certain schools I think nine was the one they got it spot on. I don't know how they do it. But the good news is that we made certain decisions a couple of years ago that we recognized that there were some inequities in numbers in our buildings and that's very apparent when you look at the the the day the data there,
036but that it wasn't going to grow to a problem where we really needed to do something I'm going to put in quotes drastic in order to deal with the enrollment numbers. So we um we've stayed pretty much status quo from last year to this year at the elementary level and the middle school are there was a a little bit of an uptick but that really just depends on the cohorts that actually wind up being in um in the school at that particular time. But we now have a middle school of 831 students. Um which if you know anything about middle school students, it's a lot of middle school students in one place. Uh kudos to our middle school principal and and staff who make that be a magical place. and our high school. Uh we
037took a little bit of a dip from from um where we started in September of 24. I will say again, I don't have hard data to back this up, but we do get a number of students that choose to go to private school for their high school years. And that's typically what we see. And I have to tell you, somewhere's around December, January, February, all of a sudden kids start to trickle back in or a couple of grades later. But more or less, um that's where we took a little bit of a dip. Castleton has been relatively constant. We always start the school year with approximately 3540 students. We typically end uh in June closer to 50 60 and that's just the nature of of the way that program works and the process in that
038regard. So, in total, in terms of where we are as a district, we began September of 2024 with 5,173 students, and we began this September with 5,155 students. So, you know, give or take 20 students. We're still on track to be relatively consistent in terms of our enrollment. In terms of the breakdowns by schools, that's the next slide you see here. Um I think what you want what speaks um at the elementary level I think these numbers do speak for themselves in the sense that they also match where we've been um in terms of the enrollment study. So I'm happy about that. Uh and again consistent across the board in terms of kindergarten. Something I do want to point out publicly. I did have this conversation with the PTA as well earlier in the month,
039but we did see an uptick of kindergarten students that enrolled literally within the last week of school, if not the first couple of days of school. And that really does set up a problem for us because at that point, our students have been assigned teachers. The parents and families know who the teachers are. uh and to undo that is something that um is really not a practice that we believe is in the best interest of our students, our families or or or or our teachers. So, um we deal with what we what we're given. So, the guideline and remember we do have class- size guidelines. We did a whole presentation on that in the spring. That presentation still lives on our website. You're welcome to take a look at that. But the guideline for kindergarten
040is 22 students. I remind everyone that we have a practice here of one teacher and an aid in every single classroom. So there are two adults for every 22 students. I will say that u because of the enrollments that came to us late in the year, there are numbers of classrooms at our kindergarten that went as high as 23. We uh took a close look at that. We are monitoring as we as we go along where the need and support may be may be needed. And I can assure the community that where and when we find that need, we will meet that need. Um, but at the end of the day, that's the way our numbers break down and I will answer any questions any board member may have. >> Do I have any questions
041from the board? >> Laura, yes. >> Sorry. Um, I just had a question about the UPK. I noticed our numbers are is a little bit down. >> Um, did we have a weight list this year or >> We did not. We did not have a wait list. While I can't say I know this for a fact because I don't have the hard data, but what what we hear and what we what we believe is that we have many many more um double working families. Um so the the hours that our prek provides is just not enough for a good majority of our of our parents. So they do have to choose an alternative where they have a longer day. >> Okay. Thank you. >> But I will say Dr. Anthony, I did feel a question
042about when does registration in school and I say we're open, you know, for the entire school year. So, it's 365 days on registrations. We get uh kids coming into our district the week or two before and a month later. So, it's it's a little bit hard on doing it, but I know we're doing a good job on trying to to manage the numbers that we do get the last >> we we changed the process a couple of years ago. remember it used to be that teachers were parents were told who the teachers were going to be for the upcoming school year in June when they actually left. Um and um that caused real havoc because we do have a lot of in andout numbers over the course of of the summer. Um so we made
043a commitment that we would wait till a certain uh date. Parents are notified as close to a week before school um when um who the teachers actually are. And of course by that point the teachers and are hired and you we we try to hire the best of the best obviously. Um so it becomes much much harder the latter part of August to hire what we believe is a standard for Oceanside in terms of the teaching staff. So, we stick to that deadline, but once those names of the teachers go out, unless there was a tremendously dramatic uh shift in numbers, which is unlikely, uh we we stick to the the decisions that were made at the time that the teachers were announced. >> Yes, Sandy. >> Yeah. I want to go back to the
044UPK topic for a minute. Okay. >> Um my my question is, >> uh I know that we had no waiting list up to the In other words, we had a deadline where everybody had to register by. So, anyone who registered by the deadline was accommodated. Um, after that deadline, did we get any late registrants that we were able to accommodate or >> Yes, we we had many late registrants and they were all accommodated. >> They were all accommodated. Correct. Okay. And then my other question is, did the state give us any new money at all this year? >> Not this year. Um, obviously we're we believe that there's a true commitment to early childhood education. I also believe the state is collecting data that they're asking from us on on on the results of that
045and I think we have some really clear evidence that our students who have attended UPK particularly in Oceanside who then come to our kindergarten um are certainly um well um prepared for kindergarten and and beyond. So I believe the state is gathering that data and once they have all of that I do believe that the the resources would be there to increase even you know the aotment and we have the space for it and as Dr. Kley mentioned earlier building the additional classrooms so we have the space we're very very fortunate that's really not the case in most districts. I know that they had allocated us money based on um well I know they accommodated 285 seats last year but the money that they give us this year is going to be based on 273.
046>> No no no no that that's not the way >> it's still the same pool of money. >> Correct. And it was 287 that they they allowed us last year and it was 287 this year. >> So they don't reduce the pool unless the money unless the money goes elsewhere. I can't speak for that, but barring the fact that it's unlikely we would have at least 287, of course, we're hoping for more. >> And we're also hoping for some realistic inflationary increases, too. >> Correct. Correct. >> Okay. Um, and then I have another question for you, and I just want to get back down here to the actual elementary enrollment by building. >> Correct. >> And down to the kindergarten. Um, the to me it seems like a very large number for school three and
047school eight >> in kindergarten. um are we going to we're preparing for that for next year as they go >> those numbers. So the what what you're pointing out so if you look at where it says kindergarten we do track by home school we don't place kids but we track it to to see where long-term where the trends are going to be and those trends with school three and definitely school eight being the highest um are are consistent with what the enrollment study has said. So we we have that prepared. >> So we're prepared. I guess my question is are we prepared for that at school three and school eight uh when they move first grade next year? >> Those those numbers are are are consistent with what again the enrollment study said. But yes,
048if you look at school 8 grade one this year is only 60 kids. If all of these kindergarten students remain with us that's that will be a big shift and then we will increase at the appropriate time the number of sections. So the answer is even school school five is on the high end of >> Yeah, we Yes. Actually, yes. >> I just want to make sure that when they hit first grade that you know we're prepared for this and that uh we're going to have the space for this and >> yes >> in those buildings >> right now. Right now we're prepared. >> There's no surprises. Okay. >> Correct. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Uh we're at 5A which is opportunity to comment on agenda items only. Any audience member wishing to make a
049comment on an item that is on tonight's agenda can do so at this time. Anyone wishing to make a comment on an item not on tonight's agenda will have the opportunity to do so later in the agenda. While New York State Law does not require us to hold a public comment period on agenda items, this board of education choose to do so because we believe it is important to get input from community members on the board's agenda items. Please note that the board is here to listen. While everyone is encouraged to share their comments, please keep in mind that this is not designed to be a question and answer session. Again, comments should be directed towards the chair of the meeting, which is me. Anyone wishing to speak should come up to the microphone. Clearly
050state your name and your child's school. And do we have anybody right now at this time? It's only on agenda items only. Seeing none, we're going to go to 6A, which is the approval of minutes for the August 27th, 2025. I'll take a motion. >> Motion. >> St. >> Second. Sandy. Any questions or comments? All in favor? I. >> Any opposed? Any abstension? Motion passes. I'll take an acceptance for financial reports, treasures report, transfer of funds, and internal claims, auditors, review of warrants. I'll take a motion. >> I make that motion. >> I'll move it. I'll second it. Excuse me. >> Okay. Any questions or comments? All in favor? >> Any opposed? Any abstensions? Motion passes. 7A. Approval of use of facilities the Oceanside Wrestling Club. I'll take a motion. >> Move it. >> Second.
051All in favor? >> I. >> Any opposed? Any abstensions? Motion passes. Approve to declare technology equipment surplus. I'll take a motion. >> I'll make that motion. >> Sandy. >> I second. >> Moore. Any questions or comments or >> I have one question. Okay. >> I just want I I want to make sure that any parts or pieces that we could utilize we we have. That is correct. >> Before we dispose of it, >> that's correct. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Okay. So, we have U Sandy and Laura. Um, any questions or comments? All in favor? >> I. >> Any opposed? Any abstensions? Motion passes. And we're going to approve the declare uh approval to declare textbook surplus. >> Move it. >> Take a motion, which is Bob. >> Second. >> Dawn. Any question or comments?
052>> I have a question. I'm sorry. Okay. My question on the books is none of them are are able to be donated to um any other uh charitable organization to ut utilize. They're badly damaged or they're outdated. Is that the case, Mrs. Pito? No. >> Yeah. Yeah. No, that is the case. And quite honestly, the cost involved in in transferring we we've attempted that in the past. We thought that would make sense. They're not usable textbooks. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Okay. Okay. So, we have any questions or comments? All in favor? >> I. >> Any opposed? Any abstensions? Motion passes. And we're going to take an approval to accept the donation of a violin. >> I'll take a motion. >> Motion. >> I'll second it. >> So, we're good. Got that still in Sandy.
053>> Any questions or comments? God bless. All in favor? >> Any opposed? Any abstensions? And the motion passes. Thank you for the violin donation and approval to accept donation. Boardman Feld Penn. I'll take a motion. >> I make that motion. >> Laura, a second. Bob. Any questions or comments? All in favor? I. >> Any opposed? Any abstensions? Motion passes. It's to the people in the audience. It's it's it's a it's a banner um with a pennant. Looks like a Yankees banner, but only says Boardman on it. So, it's pretty cool. >> From the 1940s. >> 1940s. Maybe we could put that up on a website. Uh 8A personnel uh professional personnel recommendations. I'll take a motion to approve. >> Okay. >> Don. >> Okay. Um >> Stu, >> any questions or comments? All in favor?
054>> I. >> Any opposed? Any abstensions? Motion passes. Contract approval for the non-represented employees. I'll take a motion. >> I'll make that motion. >> Sandy, >> I second. >> Laura, any questions or comments? All in favor? I. >> Any opposed? Any abstensions? Motion passes. I'll take a motion for to approve civil service personnel recommendations as submitted. >> I'll move it. >> Okay. Bob. >> Second. >> Don. Any questions or comments? All in favor? >> Any opposed? Any abstensions? Motion passes. >> Mr. Danzer, if I may, I just have to point out we have two approvals of resignations um this evening. One is Mary Conlin, the school nurse at our high school. I just do want to go on record saying that nurse Conlin is really just quite superior and um she will be missed. Um
055she is taking a position in a neighboring school district, but um she really is the best of the best and and we will definitely be missing her. We had the pleasure of having Brandon Rooney as our head custodian at our high school for the past two years. We knew when we hired him that we wouldn't have him for too long because he did have his sights on an advanced position. We didn't think it would happen as quickly as it did and primarily it did because he's going somewhere not at that title but with promise to achieve that title. Um but we anyone who knows our high school has known that his it has never looked as good. So um he has set the bar high. I have promised this board and the principal of the
056high school that we will settle for nothing less. Uh but we certainly wish him um equally as as a wonderful successful journey in in his next in his next leg. >> We want 8D which is motion to approve the hourly employees recommendation is submitted. I'll take a motion. >> Motion. >> St. >> Second. >> Sandy. Any questions or comments? All in favor? >> I. >> Any opposed? Any abstensions? Motion passes. Dr. Harington. Anything? And I'll take a motion to approve it. Uh, docker employee recommendation as submitted. Take a motion. >> I make a motion. >> Laura, >> a second. >> Uh, all in uh any question or comments? All in favor? >> Any opposed? Any abstensions? Motion passes. >> Um 9A recommendation for the U make a motion to approve the recommendation of a CEPS
057chairperson that's submitted. I'll take a motion. >> Move it. >> Dawn. >> Second. >> And Stu. Any questions or comments? All in favor? >> I I >> Any opposed? Any abstensions? Motion passes. We're going to go now to 10 A, which is items for action. A motion approved the 2526 Oceanside School District goals. I'll take a motion. >> I'll make that motion. >> Second. >> I second. >> Okay. Any questions or comments? All in favor? I. >> Any opposed? >> Any abstensions? Motion passes. opportunity for the superintendent of schools. >> Yes, thank you. Just Yes, thank you, Mr. D. Just a couple of things. Um, again, the school year got off to just an amazing start. It's hard to believe we're well into the flow of things. Uh, but that really is because we just
058have an amazing um faculty, staff, uh, community, our students. It's it really is a combined effort. So, kudos to everyone who helped make the opening so very smooth. Um, please refer to our district calendar. There is chalk full of events. Uh just a couple that I'll mention uh coming up in the near future. Uh we do have our thesian review which is always a highlight tomorrow evening. But uh first for the first time we're doing a a a Disney brunch, Disney princess brunch, excuse me. Uh this coming Saturday. Uh it's going to be absolutely adorable. But we're doing it as a fundraiser for our marching band and thebs students who will be attending um uh a privileged opportunity to participate uh in in a program in Disney World uh this coming May. Can't wait. Um
059but it is a first of what will be many fundraisers. So we really hope our community comes out and supports u bring your little ones, boys and girls allowed um because we're going to have just a great time that there's information on our website about that. Um, our students did briefly mention our athletic season which has kicked off. It's in full swing, but this Friday night uh is our second football game. We won our first one 51-6 if people weren't uh weren't aware of that. Uh, but this Friday night is our first um game under the lights 6 pm. Come out and support our students. Um, what speaking of the students, they did mention our club fair at our high school tomorrow. And I just want to just say publicly that I continue to be
060completely um amazed by the support that this board and community and then the teachers who are willing to step up as adviserss of our clubs. We have so many diverse clubs. There's just there's no end to the things that our students can be involved in. We certainly do clubs at our elementary level as well, but I I just say what we do in our high school is by far um non-comparable to anything else that I've seen. So looking forward to another great year with that as well. Um, and this is also back to school uh days as was mentioned also by our students and I know our parents really look forward to an opportunity to meet with our our teachers and and faculty uh in in that environment as well as well as our PTA
061barbecues and welcome back uh uh lunches and breakfast barbecues and all those things that these great PTA people do um to really make it feel like a wonderful community and that is certainly what it So that concludes my report. Mr. Dembrosia, >> thank you. Dr. Harrington 12A, we have a board of education report. I just like to start off by saying uh Eric Aby's the president of Aquanis is uh couldn't make it tonight, but he'd want you he wanted us to know that uh the installation dinner for the Aquanis is going to be on October 16th at uh Temple Voda, and it's going to be a great time. We we usually get a lot of people there. So, if you get the opportunity, please uh send in your checks. And we'd like to see a
062lot of people in the community. This year, we're honoring uh Anthony Puma from uh with the sorry, Michael Puma uh for the uh Heart of Gold and Dr. Clickman Rogers for his service uh that she's been doing a wonderful job at the middle school. Uh seeing that, I'm done. Uh Mr. Kaplan. >> Yeah. I'd like to just uh take this moment. I read on LinkedIn. And I'd like to congratulate our uh Castleton principal, Dr. uh Frankie Simmons, on def successfully defending his dissertation. I'd like to say congratulations to you. Well done. >> One step closer to being a doctor, right? Not not quite there yet, but he's >> that that's why I pulled back the doctor. I was like, "Okay, he got you got to a certain point. >> He's closer, but he's not quite
063there yet. We'll get in there." >> Okay. Anybody else? >> Yeah. Show. Uh, I first of all, I'd like to thank the administration and the teachers and staff, everybody who helped us have a very successful opening to school. This was really pretty seamless. Um, you know, a few little glitches here and there, but it was the quietest start to a year uh that I can remember in a long time. But I want to especially compliment and thank um our students uh for their level of cooperation and maturity with regard to the cell phone policy. I you amaze me. Um I I had a feeling it was going to work and I and it's working because of of your level of of maturity and uh you're a special group of kids at the high school and
064in the middle school and the elementary school. So, I just want to congratulate you because it's just tremendous how well you have adapted. >> Okay. Thank you, Mr. Shaw and Laura. >> Good. And Bob Transom. Good. And Mr. Morris. >> Uh, I thank you, Mr. Chair. I didn't think I'd be on tonight, but unfortunately, I missed the last board meeting. And there's one thing I wanted to say. Uh first of all I want to congratulate a special congratulations to Diane Pvido for organizing a most successful new staff orientation program. It was very well done and if they announced it at the last board meeting no one told me. So again congratulations. >> I forgot about we mentioned it. Don you >> Brian is there anything else that you'd like to bring up about the high
065school that you might have forgotten? When will the next board meeting? >> Exactly. We'll have a couple of plays you can uh give us some stuff on. Brian, anything good? We'll get there. Okay. So, at the end, this is as we come to the end, uh this is opportunity to comment on non-aggenda items. Next is public comment on non-aggenda items. This is the opportunity for anyone who wants to make a comment on any item that's not on tonight's agenda. As I previously mentioned, state law does not require us to hold public comment, period. But this board of education does so because we believe it's important to provide this forum to hear from our community members about our concerns and issues. Having said that, please note that the board is here to listen. Comment should be
066directed towards the chair of the meeting which is me. While everyone is encouraged to share this comment, please remember that this is not designed to be a question and answer session. Someone has a question that be that can be quickly answered, we'll do so. Otherwise, the appropriate personnel will follow up on any issue. Lastly, please remember that the board cannot and will not discuss matters related to staff or students in public. Anybody wishing to come up speak to the microphone, please please state your name and your child's school. Thank you for your cooperation. Is there anybody that would like to come up? I see a boy scout back there. I was wondering what he was doing. >> Oh, >> that's great. Good for you. >> Would you like to come up and tell us about
067a little bit? We're good. Little shy. Okay. Very good. Is there anybody else that would like to come up to the microphone and have something to say? If not, seeing nothing, I'll take a motion. >> Motion to adjurnn. Second. >> Everybody safe. Drive home.