Board of Education Meeting 4/21/2026

001Just kidding. Good. If we can please stand for those that are able for the pledge. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under [clears throat] God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Can I get a recommended motion to approve the revised April 21st, 2026 Board of Education meeting agenda as presented? I'll make a motion. Second. Any discussion? All those in favor? Opposed? Motion carries. Oh, there she is. Uh our mission statement read by our student board member. Our mission is for our students to grow into critical thinkers and lifelong learners who internalize confidence and compassion. Our mission is to create an inclusive, welcoming educational community where all students can find their purpose and achieve their goal. Uh next on

002the agenda, privilege of introducing Dr. Kevin Bachman. Uh he's going to talk about our reorganization process that we've been going through. Thank you for I know you have a lot to go over tonight, and so I'll be very quick. Um let me start by saying my name is Dr. Kevin Bachman. Uh my background uh first off and I I have been I was appointed as a consultant to your school district for the purposes of looking at um all of the good work that's been done to this point on grade level alignment, but also looking at it from an outside exterior uh experience. Uh I've worked with other school districts on similar uh kinds of questions and work. Um and my previous experience also include being a superintendent school for 11 years, uh also being a

003school business official for a period of time, uh school administrator for over 25 years, school professor full-time tenure track for seven or eight years, and uh and I probably started when I was about 11 years old. >> [laughter] >> So, I do have a fairly extensive background. I've worked with school districts similar to you and close by um thinking about uh Antelope schools uh close by. The district I worked with back in 2020. Just before I go to 50 before COVID. Uh so, I have some understanding of some of the things that are unique to your area and to your school district. Uh and just today uh I was in your district and I I had seven different uh meetings, uh two or three different buildings. The yes, the middle school, that's the junior high,

004the uh intermediate school, and the two elementary so far. And I'll be back tomorrow. Uh so, I'm a little tired tonight. If I look a little bleary-eyed, I am. But uh it was really great. Um I've also had about 10 or 12 deep reviews online video conferences. Um it's a fairly effective way to do it. Uh it also um is a is a fairly cost effective way to do it, too. Keep costs down. Um and I found I think I've done 10 or 12 of those so far. I find that the the more I do, the richer my understanding is of your district. Uh today I met with teachers, a group of teachers. I met with administrators. Uh I've met and talked to parents already. There'll be more parents. And one of my invitations to

005you as a board is um I would like to speak with each and every one of you, if you would like. Um and so, I have an invitation sort of on there, but also my contact information. And if you would like to set up a time, they're usually 30 to 40 minutes each. Um and it's a video conference, so it's at your convenience. Uh and I can talk to you then. If you want to wait till I'm back here again, I don't know when I'll be here, so I think the sooner the better to get that perspective. Um I've done Tabitha already, and obviously uh I've done several of the administrators and kind of including the superintendent. So, um it's a it's a really helpful to me to do that, and I would invite you

006to do that as well. Um I gave you sort of a list of some of the things so far that I've been doing and that we've been doing here together. Uh and just I guess one [clears throat] of the keys I'm looking at is enrollment projections. I I think it's important for you to make decisions based upon good quality information. And not make a decision that ends up people later saying, "Well, why did you make that decision? What What were you thinking?" So, we want to make sure we give you the best information. Uh so, I'm working on that now. Uh we're looking at 20 years worth of data, uh including the current year. We're looking at live birth rates. Uh we're looking at housing starts in various towns, if there are uh any potential

007commercial development that might impact on student student enrollment. So, because enrollment in general, as you already know, is not something that's growing in many school districts. So, we need to look at what might be unique to you to help And I say we, it's mostly me, but sometimes I need your help as well. Um so, that's sort of where we are with the the situation. It's it's uh I I've learned a lot in the last probably probably the last month, you know, especially on the interviews, and I enjoy it. I looked at your facilities today. You have done a wonderful job. I mean that. But the facilities they are in really good shape. Uh they're clean. Um they're inviting for children. You should be proud of that as a district and also within the community.

008I've been in a lot of districts over my years, and some are as good as what I saw today, but unfortunately not all of them. So, you you should be uh uh thought thanked for that. Um I'm happy to take any questions you have. If Paul has anything else to add to that, that would be great. Um but uh we're looking at this probably I'd like to get my work done for you before the end of the calendar year, because you'll need time if you are going to make any changes for 20 for 2027-28 to have at least that half year to get any uh anything to share. Obviously, what I would like to look at is both short-term and long-term. Uh I I think and that your short-term planning should also be impacted upon

009what the long-term uh looking at in terms of whether there's consolidations or whatever. Uh but some of that we won't know until we actually have the final enrollment numbers projected. Any questions for me? Just one question. You looking at the maintenance and the uh the kind of the underbelly of the district as well, or just [clears throat] Well, certainly I would be most concerned looking at the two elementary buildings to see what those costs are. Um but at this point, I haven't gotten to that level of detail. Um but I do think that that has to be a consideration. Um if uh you have to how long are we going to be in a building? How much money do you need to be investing in it? Those are good questions that need to be asked.

010And I'll I can ask them, but I can't answer them. Yeah. Uh and the other piece to make it clear is I am not going to tell you what you should do. You know better than me. This is your district. What I do know is I look at every major question, and I try to look at it from a pro and a con advantages and considerants. And I always and I I've done this in almost every district. Uh I'm just not in a position where I want to say this is what you should do. I don't think that's really what you want. But what you want to have is an objective These are the facts. These are the advantages. These are the disadvantages. And I would argue that most often when people see that, they

011all tend to say, "Okay, we know what we need to do." Thank you, sir. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you. Can I have time? Sorry, I hope sorry. I didn't hear you. two questions for you. Um the first is that I love that approach. I'm curious if alongside that, you'll have you'll suggest solutions for possible challenges. Yeah. I will. It's really all about coming up with the right questions. Great. And I have one already, by the way, as of today. But there's there's there's a lot I described it today as there's thousands of balls moving around in our school in our is a little different. It's amazing how they don't hit each other very often, but there's a lot of things that are at play when we talk about alignment of the grade

012and movement here to there. Across the schedule, I worked today with You have There I I'm really impressed with some of the people you have here. Um I worked today with the transportation supervisor in uh They also feed very good donuts. >> [laughter] >> I think it was just because I was here. Um one other question, this is kind of for you, Dr. Spadero, but does December 2026, that's you're saying you'll finish it by then? I will finish my work. >> year, does that feel too late? That feels late, right? This is something we're going to do. Yeah, this is something I think he'll have all of his research done and recommendations, and then we'll have if we if we are going to make a a decision, we'll have 3 months to submit that to

013the state department. It'll just kind of like we kind of like how we filed the timeline for the reconfiguration. If we're going to move a grade level, we have to go through the same process through the state department. >> this will require like physical movement, which is not just paperwork. Does that feel like you have enough time there for that? Okay. Thank you. >> Thank you. Thanks, everybody. >> Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Babin. Uh next on the agenda is our agenda spotlight, and it's the high school's turn. Good evening. Good Good evening, everyone. I'm really excited to share out a snapshot of all of the work that we we've been doing uh on this year at the high school. Um and our work really has been grounded and rooted in creating and

014sustaining a just fair environment where our students feel connected, they feel safe, they feel supported, they feel challenged, they feel prepared for what's next, but also a place where our staff feel valued and empowered, and a place where they want to work. And I'm just really excited to share out, and you'll see a lot of the evidence around, you know, three things around engagement, where we increase opportunities for really meaningful and relevant learning opportunities, strengthen uh climate and culture, and also increase student outcomes. So, that's just what to to frame the to share out for us tonight's presentation. So, at the core of this work is is engagement, and engagement has been our North Star because we know students when students are engaged, when they're invested in their learning, then everything else just improves. And

015uh in so that, we have expanded various different learning experiences. Uh and it's kind of covering all the all the bases, really emphasizing project-based learning, authentic assessment, our learning expo, which we just our second annual one last month, which was a huge success. We had hundreds of families just flooded in our hallways, and just students uh presenting and sharing out um their learning, which was really exciting. And one of the feedback we got from the prior year from families was, you know, it would be great if we had more students to be able to kind of present and answer questions and get feedback from the community. So, we really expanded on that this year. So, that was really exciting. And just continuing and increasing our opportunities, whether it be from e-sports to uh Seal of

016Civics, which we're getting off the ground, Seal of Biliteracy, we have 22 students this week that are doing their presentations from FFA, Alliance, um etc. And our school-wide events and involvement, so just expanding on our our club expo, which really inspired us to have our elective fair, um our homecoming food truck festival, and really just creating traditions within the school, and also community lighthouses, where we're inviting the community to come on campus, to come in our buildings, and we just closed out our our our March Madness, which had its challenges. So, we're always continuing to grow and and sustain that. As well as expanding student voice, whether it be initiatives through student congress or special ed advocacy committee, um that partners also with our National Honor Society, our school newspaper, so our Rondout Journal, and

017our newcomers uplifted program, just to name a few. You know, expanding our elective courses, so getting really creative when we're semstering our courses, so that there's just more opportunities for students to explore their interests and passions, um increasing our enrollment in our CTE program at the BOCES, as well as enrollment in our AP and collegial um courses. And it's a constant balance while also being fiscally responsible, while also ensuring that we have all of these opportunities for our students. So, that's the fine line and toe that we're always that we're working on. And just staff collaboration, so really creating strong systems for staff to um collaborate and uh expand and build their capacity and professional learning. And then also a weekly newsletter that goes out every Sunday that really kind of really keeps the the

018community informed and connected. So, that's super important. So, that that's the next for our show. Next up, climate and culture, because we know a strong school culture really start our strong school really start starts with positive and a strong culture. So, just starting off with systems and supports, we've really focused on relationship building, we're very strong and informed, teaching through the whole child, we're extremely flexible, utilizing our individual practices, which I'll get to a little bit later, but uh really keeping SEL also as the core of our I found this for our students and staff. And really building a culture of consistency, and you see it evident in our in our last climate survey of that increase of the students reporting their sense of belonging from 59% to last year to 76%. And really taking

019a data-informed approach on everything that we're on and everything that we're doing, and we're seeing a huge impact and a significant improvement also just the number of of referrals that I have listed since the beginning of current of 262 referrals. You can see that has significantly decreased over the year, as well as also the number of days of OSS. So, if you just take a look at, you know, 2020 3 to 24, we had 140 8 days of OSS. Last year, we had 100 days of OSS, and today to date this year, we have we're in double digits. We're at 13 days OSS. But I think that really speaks to the climate and culture. We have not had a physical altercation. I don't want to jinx it, but we've had a couple of them. So,

020like it really speaks to a lot of You can't do anything unless you really have that climate and culture. And we also seen just um the decreasing also the number of days of of in-school suspensions. And I think that also goes back into the law. Students feel they belong, and we're our core values are also We're a lighthouse school. Our values We're all there for the same purpose. We're here to have fun and be kind and be respectful. Kids make mistakes, but it's really about what we what we do about it after. Just creating that safe space for that. It's also staff belonging. It's just as important. So, making sure that they feel appreciated, that they have healthy systems and supports to um collaborate with their with their colleagues, and um and really kind of

021uh keep a a true focus. They culturally responsive, and that's not an add-on. It's that's that's just the work that we do. And that's also evident in that data, where students are even saying, you know, students of people of different backgrounds and races and ethnicities are, you know, treated or getting along at the school have also increased as well. So, that's always work that we're always looking to improve on. And then lastly, student outcomes. Academic success. So, all of this work ultimately the results that we're seeing is our graduation last year was 93%. So, we're continuing to lead Ulster County. Two years ago, we were at 95%, which was our school's uh we had a record of of the highest. So, that's really exciting. Uh improved outcomes on majority of all of our uh Regents

022exams. And then recently, this past January, we had an 89% on the English 11 Regents of the 11th graders taking it, which is pretty significant. So, just kudos to all the uh the special ed teachers, the English teachers, and just a lot of the work that we've been doing. Um we use the Atlas as our instructional framework, so we're really focused on strong tier one intervention supports, inclusion practices, and uh we've been doing a lot of work around portrait of a graduate. When I think of portrait of a graduate, it's making learning relevant, you know? Not just rigor, but it's making it relevant. What's in it for them? What's in it for me? It's really kind of tapping into their purpose. And the programs that really drive the outcomes is is all the ones that

023I've listed there. And um you know, from the music to the arts, the recognition from our electives, from e-sports, I just learned that um of the 96 teams in the state, we're ranked 11th in e-sports already, which is really exciting. Um so, just kudos to all the work um and um you know, the goal isn't just achievement, but it's the meaningful, lasting learning experiences. And what I'm most proud of is really just the shared commitment of all the students and staff and the in the broader in the broader community. And just a couple other things that I wanted to point out that our students are also reporting, and this really shows that that UTO work that we're doing is working, right? Where they're saying, "My teachers give me individual attention when I need it." 88%

024of our high school students say that they feel like they get that from our staff. And I think for even a high school student to even admit that in a survey, also says something. And then they also reported an increase from the prior year that they feel like they're they're more engaged, and um it's more relevant. So, we've done a lot of work there. Um last year, we did see a 20% increase there. All right, so that's what I have for just a quick little update. Now, the fun part. Can I spell like All right, so I took a similar approach to last year. So, instead of me just I selecting these wonderful and fabulous people in isolation, I I had a whole building-wide effort. All the staff nominated people and several students were nominated

025from there. We voted. And then it was it's it's really hard to to narrow that down because we have exceptional students and staff, but our first one up is Mr. Joe Delessio. Joe Delessio is the definition of someone who goes above and beyond for his school community. He's a dedicated special education teacher who has driven the park creativity and an ongoing direct commitment to helping others. One staff member shared, "He has done an amazing job with the concept of paying it forward and has promoted camaraderie between staff and students with a shared vision of raising money for the RVF and promoting volunteerism. It has brought a positive light to the school. Through this initiative led by his government and economic class, Joe has helped raise over $1,500 for the Rondout Valley Education Foundation while building

026community and teaching students the power of service. Joey Joe is always the first to step up when someone in our community is in need, whether if it's a student, staff member, or even a former student from decades ago. While we may not have a formal sunshine committee, Joe naturally fits that role of community one. Organizing food trains, donation efforts, and thoughtful acts of kindness that bring people together. In the classroom, Joe thinks outside the box when every student finds success. His impact is lasting. Former students regularly reach out and stay connected, a testament to the genuine relationships he builds. Students know he cares deeply about them and that trust and that trust makes all the difference. Joe is also someone I can count on, whether if it's volunteering for the worst student I even proactively

027offering each summer to help in the cafe when I'm doing the duty schedules or dumping and whatever um help is needed. His reliability and positive spirit never go unnoticed. Joe truly bleeds blue and Rondout Valley High School is a is better because of him. Congratulations, Joe. Thank you for your passion, your heart, and the incredible energy you bring to our school. Don't let anyone dull your sparkle and keep those amazing ideas and initiatives coming. He's talking. Speech. Oh, no, I'm not talking. >> [laughter] >> He's talking to you. >> [clears throat] >> All right, next up Miss Meg Marcus. Meg is a is the kind of school counselor every high school hopes to have. As our ninth grade counselor, Meg has played a pivotal role in supporting students as they transition into RVHS, ensuring they

028feel seen, supported, and set up for success from day one. One colleague shared, "Meg Marcus worked hard this year making sure all ninth grade teachers felt supported. She pushed into classes, talked to students individually, and tried her best to improve the learning experience for the whole grade." Her unwavering support and dedication has been a huge help during this school year. Another noted, "This team member gives students [clears throat] what they need to succeed." While a third colleague said, "Meg is an example of all of the core values at Rondout Valley High School as she goes above and beyond for our students." She truly lives out these words every day. Students actively seek her out because they trust her. They know she will listen, support them through challenges, and advocate for their needs. She provides critical

029support for students navigating mental health struggles and works closely with families to ensure every child has what they need to thrive. Her impact extends beyond individual counseling. She's an exceptional communicator, collaborative team player, and a trusted thought partner for staff. She consistently pushes into classrooms offering direct support to both students and teachers. During Regents week, she even organizes additional work sessions for students that don't have an exam that day and giving her time to help them stay on track academically, help them with homework in collaboration with classroom teachers. Meg's organization and progress monitoring are second to none and her deep knowledge of local resources across Ulster and surrounding counties strengthens the support network for our students. Through her partnership with Ulster Prevention, she has helped bring meaningful programming into classrooms on topics such as conflict

030resolution, the dangers of vaping, healthy relationships, peer pressure, and goal setting. This impactful collaboration contributed to Rondout Valley High School being recognized in spring 2022 by the New York State School Board Association as a champion in change, one of only 14 schools statewide that received that honor this past school year. Dependable, compassionate, and realistically student-centered, Meg is a true advocate and leader in our school community. Rondout Valley High School is stronger because of her and it's hard to imagine a school without her. Thank you, Meg, for your unwavering dedication, incredible difference you make every single day. Congratulations. He's only three. He's only three. He's only three. He's only three. He's only three. He's only three. He's only >> [laughter] >> Can I get in, buddy? Okay. >> [laughter] [clears throat] >> Next up, we have

031four incredible students. First up is Ella Moskowitz. Ella is an exceptional ninth grade student whose kindness, leadership, and character makes a lasting impression on everyone she meets. She consistently goes out of her way to help others and has been such a pleasure getting to know her this year. She is a phenomenal student who exudes academic excellence. It's hard to believe that she's only a freshman as her maturity and work ethic far exceeds her years. Ella is actively involved in our Unified PE program where she demonstrates what true inclusion and leadership look like in action. She's also a dedicated member of our special education advocacy committee using her voice and energy to make a meaningful difference in our school community. This past winter, Ella played an important role in helping raise thousands of dollars for Special

032Olympics through a polar plunge, an incredible reflection of her commitment to service and advocacy. A natural leader, Ella embodies all of our core values. She leads with kindness, compassion, integrity, and her positive impact is felt by both peers and staff. Rondout Valley High School is lucky to have her and we can't wait to see all she continues to develop. Congratulations, Ella. Next up, we have Gabe DeCicco. Gabe is one of the kindest and most respectful students at Rondout Valley High School. He consistently goes out of his way to greet others, often saying good morning and checking in on how people are doing, and generally asking about their day. His daily interactions reflect a sincere care for those around him in creating positive, welcoming school environment. Gabe is an extremely hard-working student and phenomenal young scholar.

033He's a member of the National Honor Society and is actively involved in our FBLA program where he serves as treasurer. He's also a member of the Chess Club demonstrating both his intellectual curiosity and a commitment to his interests. Whether he is helping a peer with school work or simply taking the time to listen, with all his willingness to support others, his kindness, humility, and reliability stand out. As he does quite simply, Gabe is a generally good person and we are lucky to have him a part of our school community. Next up, we have Penelope Rose DeCicco. Penelope is an outstanding 11th grade student who exemplifies leadership, integrity, and academic excellence in everything she does. One staff member shared, "Penelope is a strong leader in our class who consistently strives for academic excellence. She approaches her

034work with dedication and responsibility setting a positive example for her peers. Beyond the classroom, she takes an active role in bettering our school community demonstrating kindness, respect, and a genuine commitment to making our school welcoming and supportive place for all. Her leadership, positive attitude, and involvement make her truly deserving of this recognition. She is currently part of our science research program where she is studying the environmental impact of a flea and tick medication used for dogs. Her work looks at how much of the medication washes off dogs and what that can mean for the environment. Penelope has already completed her experimental phase and is now analyzing results, drawing conclusions, and beginning her research paper. She's ahead of the program and will be entering competitions next year, an impressive reflection of her passion, focus, and perseverance.

035And I hope I explained her project okay. A lot of science. >> [laughter] >> I could do a whole and I could >> Beyond her research, Penelope is the treasurer of her junior class, a member of National Honor Society and FFA, and a varsity tennis player. In all of these roles, she continues to demonstrate responsibility, leadership, and strong work ethic. She's a student who leads through excellence, purpose, and consistency in all that she does. I'm incredibly proud of her accomplishments and grateful for the positive impact that she has had on RBHS. Congratulations, Penelope. Last up, Liz Panigan. Liz is a remarkable senior whose quiet strength and leadership leaves leave a lasting or leave a lasting impact on our school community. Often described as a quiet leader, Liz leads by example in everything she does, demonstrating

036compassion, responsibility, and a deep sense of loyalty to the programs and people around her, all while maintaining academic excellence. A standout student athlete, Liz served as captain of both the varsity girls in soccer and basketball teams this year. Her leadership on the court earned her the varsity girls basketball leadership award, and she was also selected as the La Jolla Scholar-Athlete to represent Rancho Bernardo, an incredible honor that reflects her dedication and academic ability. Liz has the dedication, the hard work, and perseverance that has been truly wonderful to watch her blossom over time, growing more confident while staying grounded in who she is. I often call her fireball. That is a nickname that I came up with for her when I saw her. So, whenever I see her in the halls or in the lunch line,

037that's the nickname that I that I often refer to her as, and I came up with that, which fits perfectly, which captures the grit, determination, and competitive spirit, which I saw on the basketball court and she continues to see it in all that she does. Beyond athletics, Liz is also a peer leader and an all-around amazing person. She consistently looks out for others and brings a steady, positive presence to our school. We are so proud of Liz and all that she's accomplished. Her future is incredibly bright. Congratulations, Liz. If you want group photo, you know, take a picture. So, we couldn't do a Gander Spotlight without highlighting like our appreciation for Jess. This is her last Gander Spotlight. Um, she is moving on from Rancho Bernardo. So, a bunch of the teachers, we were all

038talking, we just wanted to say a few words about Jess as a person. So, we're really devastated to see her leave, but we all know how amazing she's going to be in her new role. So, we just wanted to say a few things to let her know how much she is appreciated. Jess is, without question, one of the most student-centered leaders I've ever met. She really has a profound ability to connect with the kids, and she always ensures they are heard, valued, and supported. One of the things I know we all appreciate is that she's accessible and approachable. She's always in the hallways. She's always visiting classrooms. She is constantly present and engaged. Staff members and students feel comfortable seeking her guidance because she listens intently, values diverse perspectives, and responds thoughtfully. Students seek her

039out not only for academic support, but for advice, encouragement, or just because they know she will take the time to listen to Walk into the cafeteria during many of our lunch periods, and you will see her with the kids. She really has an exceptional ability to address complex challenges, resolve conflicts, and unite everyone around a shared vision. Every decision she makes is based off the question, is this is what is this what is best for kids? She builds leadership capacity in others, trusts her team, and creates opportunities for teachers, staff, and students to lead. She goes far beyond the traditional role of a principal. She's a mentor, an advocate for all students, and the cornerstone of our high school. We're incredibly fortunate to have the leadership of our high school, and she's truly a role

040model for our students. And I also agree with Mr. Martelli. We are again happy to congratulate and celebrate Ms. Rap. Her unwavering commitment to students and staff will be impossible to match. Her passion, even more so. Her work will have a lasting impact on our community, and we are confident that she will inspire and lead to even greater levels in the future. Ms. Rap definitely puts the R in reliable, hard working, strategic, collaborative, and supportive. And RBHS will not be the same without her. We wish her all of the best in this new and exciting chapter. Congratulations again from all of us here at RBHS. You will be missed. >> [laughter] >> Um, I'd like to uh say a few words um Ms. Rap, you well, two out of my three children got through high

041school at Rancho Bernardo, and I've said this to you before, but not in two years, but they had a wonderful time. Under your leadership, and you know that each year there was something new in that high school, and it kept getting better each and every, you know, each and every year your your learning expo, the art exhibit, the people coming, you know, every every year you tried to do something to engage the students and bring the community together because I think it was more than about more than just about the students. That was always your number one, but closely behind was the community. So, I do appreciate all your time here and all your hard work here. And I wish you nothing but the best. I felt I had to say a few words as

042well. As I I've said this publicly before, um Jess got you really changed the dynamic within our within our high school, right? You did bring that community feel. It felt safe, it felt welcome. Um, you've actually had three of my daughters, um one currently there. Every one of them really just loves the environment that that you have created. Um, and in fact, when my oldest, who are now at college, learned of your um resignation and you're moving on, one of them said, "Oh, crap." >> [laughter] >> Like, "What's going to happen?" Right? So, I just I want to thank you. You really have built a great culture um here at that at the high school. Um, wish you best of luck, going to miss you here, um but um I I know we have a

043good team that you have worked with, you know, as well, and I developed that culture, and I'm hoping it'll continue as you do. So, thank you. Okay, moving on to board comment. Um, a reminder uh with our board comment, um we are we are limited to 3 minutes. Um, if you public comment. I don't know what I said. Sorry. Board comment, public comment. It's a late evening, right? Already. Um, public comment, uh I do have two two here. If there's anybody else, I if you could please uh hand it to Ms. Barbiani. Um, there will be a timer up on the screen, um and if you could please uh not mention any district personnel uh by name and or students, I would really appreciate it. Um, I have here first, Glenn Dubrawski. Did I say

044that correct, sir? I would like to say a few things that you don't know about. It was fun. So, thank you. I got it. You can you can I'm going to do what I like to be over hold up and speak. I was on the board member of Rancho Bernardo 40 years ago. That's a long time. The only guy first one I know that was on the school board right here. What I'm here for, I hope I don't offend anybody, is uh the budget. There's just some things about it that that really bothered me. One of them was we had a big uh uh project and we worked on a uh field down here, football field. And we spent a lot of money, over millions of dollars. And we only have one team playing there

045now. Uh we had a JV one year and now we have a varsity. It's a lot of money to spend on that project. There's a lot of things like that going on around here. And I I really feel bad about that. Uh The other thing was the cost of electric school buses. I know you you had a thing in there saying you live there and the money we got we got 25 buses. And and it cost $10 [clears throat] million. And uh the year that we put those buses in place our budget went up over 25% of transportation. We got 25 buses for free. Somehow we're spending money randomly, you know, too much. And these these buses they're going to be a lot more for 5 years. The amount of increase to the budget is

046limited by the contract when you got the buses. The reason I bring this up is at the end of the 5 years, which is like 3 or 4 years from now, I think. What's going to happen? I think we're going to get hit with a big increase. I don't know if we're prepared for that. I think you ought to look at that. Uh You know, there's buildings got to be built to put these in. Uh buses uh increase salaries and all that. But we're limited to what they can charge you now. But when this goes on 5 years after we got them we're going to get hit with a big increase. I think you ought to look at that. Uh Next thing is the drivers on these buses have to take a test to drive

047these electric buses to get the students off if they have an accident or so. And if they have an accident these things can blow up in seconds. Now we had a guy in in in uh Hoffman had a restaurant. He lived in Bloomingburg, he came home for lunch. While he was in there eating his car blew up in seconds. The fire company had him walk away. The only thing he could do was save his house. >> [clears throat] >> The fire The fire company even mentioned that they don't know how they do this. My concern is the monitors on the bus. Do they have to take some kind of a class to do this like the way the drivers do? I think they should. Because Okay, you got them. I'm in. 3 minutes is up.

048This is what's up on there. Is this Um Margot Sanchez. That's just my fascinating. I'm Margot Sanchez. I'm here again to ask the board to adopt a safe schools resolution created by Ulster Rapid Response with guidance from the NEA, NYCLU, and UIBN to strengthen protections for immigrant families and staff. On Saturday I went to Amnesty International's annual fundraiser at the Rosendale Theatre. We viewed If I Could Stay, a documentary following two immigrant women forced to take sanctuary inside of churches for years as others lives go on around them. I wish you all had been there to hear the panel discussion afterward featuring three local leaders serving those most affected by ICE. I wish you heard the stories, the insights, and most importantly the calls to action. All three implored those with the privilege of safety

049in this moment to be as brave as we can be and do as much as we can do to protect our immigrant neighbors. They called on us to demonstrate activism that we are people who can be trusted and will stand up. They called on us to know our rights and make sure others know them as well. They absolutely did not ask us to stay quiet in our resistance or to avoid drawing attention to the daily suffering of immigrant communities at the hands of ICE and CBP, including scores of local residents already in detention. So what I What do I say to those who question if adopting this resolution would draw negative attention or put a target on our back? At a recent Equity Council meeting Victor Cueva of UIBN addressed this directly. He emphasized that

050we already live in an epicenter of resistance. Kingston is a sanctuary city, Ulster County is a sanctuary county. Our sheriff has been open about his criticism of ICE's unlawful conduct. Congressman Pat Ryan was a leader in the public resistance that has halted construction of the detention center in Chester. The state legislature is pointed poised to pass laws restricting local cooperation with ICE. Adopting the safe schools resolution doesn't put a target on anyone. The target is already on immigrant communities and has been placed there by ICE. In fact, arrows are being shot all the time. Last week five people were detained at gunpoint in Tannersville as a bus with children looked on. To the contrary, adopting the resolution as Kingston and Saugerties have already done would align Rondout with the regional effort to preserve civil rights

051for all new workers helping build power that protects us all. Of course, no one on this board created the problems or conditions I'm naming. They're not responsible for them in this sense. But as nine people with the privilege and power to direct this entire institution, you have an opportunity and I believe a responsibility to be braver than that. Your personal bravery and diligence can literally increase the safety of the people you serve. This resolution is an accountability tool that will both mandate and guide the further work needed to proactively and publicly support immigrant families and students as well as the staff members who support them. Blindly affirming your care and adherence to the law does not represent full allyship in this moment and does not promote full trust. So to my mind the question isn't

052will you follow the relevant laws, you promised as much at prior meetings. The question is will you commit to doing all you possibly can to support immigrant families and staff. Finally, in my effort to be as brave as I can tonight I want to name the underlying issue here, racism. ICE's enforcement practices are a clear example of institutionalized racism encoded in racist policies and embodied through racist practices. Last paragraph. To borrow a framing from scholar Ibram X. Kendi, there's actually no such thing as not racist when it comes to institutional policy and practice in America. Because of our history there's only racist or anti-racist. So my last call to you tonight is to consider that adopting the safe schools resolution represents anti-racist policy and practice at the board level flowing into anti-racist policy and practice

053across the district. This is an opportunity a premier school district should be eager to Thank you. Michael Erwin. Correct. Yes, correct. Um I'm also here to speak on behalf of advocating to pass the safe schools initiative. Again, my name is Mike Erwin. I'm a parent of a fourth grader and a seventh grader here in the middle school. I want to again ask you to adopt the safe schools resolution that protects students and families in our school district. Words have power but require actions to take you to be effective. This resolution will create real change in our community. Immigrant families in our district deserve to know that unequivocally this district stands for them and will not stand by idly while families are torn apart and parents are put into detention. Existing state laws and our district

054policy are not robust enough to meet our current reality. Passing the safe schools resolution would build upon those by committing to protecting students and families from non-local non-local law enforcement and harassment in our school settings. It would create clear protocols in response to attempted actions by non-local law enforcements, creating documentation of all interactions, requiring superintendent approval for entry into any school buildings, and the notification of us as the parent what's happening in our school. As well as allow preventing uh access to state buses. It would also have specified data security requirements for both internal and third-party providers to protect our students' data. It would provide additional protections such as multilingual communications, connecting students and families to critical resources, and offering additional training and support for the staff. The resolution is aligned with the district's mission

055to create an accessible environment for all students to have a sense of safety and belonging. Our student representative, you know, shared our our the our school's mission, our district's mission. You know, again, those words are great but we need actions behind them to make them real. The school board has a responsibility uh to provide and foster inclusivity and empower all of our students >> [clears throat] >> regardless of their immigration status. So once again I would just like to say, please stand up for your students, stand up for your community, and pass the safe schools resolution. Thank you. Patty Curry. Curry? No, you can't read my writing. Sorry. Uh my name is Patty Curry. I'm a resident of my two girls and my three young children. So my children are nine and 10. This uh

056Rondout school district though uh education has always been extremely important to me. Um I I have not prepared these remarks. I'm doing it because I'm moved. And uh my new about that safe schools resolution. So that's why I'm standing up. Um I just want to say that I'm not an immigrant. Um I come from an immigrant family, you know, like my grandfather was an immigrant from Ireland. And my my mother's side from Poland. So, and because I believe so much in education, I feel like this is so important. And um I've been involved The last time I was in this room was when I was here representing the SUNY Ulster President's Challenge Scholarship, and we were here with the uh eighth graders in the auditorium giving their uh their certificates. So, it was lovely to

057see all that happen tonight. I don't know each other, but you've got Keep on going wherever you're going. The other thing I did want to mention is uh I come from a high school or town that's famous um for a gun shooting. I went to the schools in uh Newtown, Connecticut, Sandy Hook. You all know. Um and you know, that's a safety on a whole another level, but I I feel like it's important for me to mention that. And that's also part of my, you know, ability, even though I'm shaking, um to stand up tonight on the parent and we can learn from the parents. So, I'm there. Oh, I need to uh Anyways, um just I just want to make sure I um don't miss a few notes that I scratched here. Um I

058don't think so. I just I I believe in this revolution. I believe that Oh, I I will say this. There's a connection with the President's Challenge Scholarship, which is many of the children are uh come from They're I may be an immigrant, but their parents are immigrants. Many do not speak English to their parents. And I ran into a kid, a few two two young ladies were in my doctor's office with like beautiful black hair. I couldn't help but, you know, comment on their hair. And one of them was there because she speaks English and she was extremely friendly, and so that she could translate for them. And I asked her she was an eighth grader, I said, "Do you you know about the President's Challenge Scholarship?" And she said, "No." I was shocked. I'm

059like, "I got to get back to SUNY Ulster." All right, there's a problem there. But I was telling you this that there are many many gifts We've been doing it since 20 um 16. Why can't I remember her name? But yeah, Iileen Iileen Iileen was here. I wasn't here then. I came into the fold in 2017. She did a beautiful video that really helped people understand the power of that program, the award. If you don't know about it, let me take this 6 minutes. Oh, no, 5 seconds. No. It's a great program. All I need to say is check it out. Talk to me after. I'm happy to talk about it. I'm sure Iileen will, too. And I said, "Thank you for your attention." And I That's it. Richard Hobart? I think I am. Good

060evening. My name is Richard Hobart. Um I've been a police officer 16 years. And uh also school school school security officer for about 16 years as well. Um I'm here to talk to you guys about just maintaining the presence of of SROs as security in the Rondout school district. Um Just a couple things to just go over. School resource officers school resource officers enhance school environment by providing immediate emergency responses, proactively preventing violence, and mentoring students. >> [clears throat] >> Um the SROs are trained to handle crisis immediately, such as active shooter situations, acting as a liaison between the school and but also external pressure's brought on them. Uh Proactive threat assessments, officers can conduct lockdown drills, assess potential threats, monitor security cameras, and deter violence before it occurs. It's been proven factual evidence that

061having an officer in uniform parked out in front has deterred violence um from um from coming to the school district. Uh Presence of having these uniformed officers there is severe. As well as trusted authority figures. SROs build trust with the students, often acting as mentors and role models through the classroom visits and informal interactions as well. Um Conflict mediation, they mediate disputes and intervene early with behavioral patterns indicating a student may be heading towards criminal activity and how to go and help them. Uh They bridge law enforcement gaps. SROs bridge the gap between law enforcement and the community, helping youth understand law enforcement roles >> [clears throat] >> and positive decision-making. Increased focus, when students and educators feel safe, they can focus better on academics rather than security concerns. Resource connection, SROs can connect at-risk

062students to necessary social services and support systems. I can't tell you for the past 16 years and how I've I've ran into situations with students on the outside and uh they've come to me in uniform because they felt comfortable. It's not the same as what it used to be when we were going to school when we were younger with their officers. School resource officers are a connection um to uh the community, and uh they really do connect the uh the gaps. And that's uh it's very important. So, please just make sure you maintain that in Rondout school district. Having security and uh having a school resource officer there is uh is something that's very serious. Thank you very much for for hearing me. I appreciate it. Thank you. Diane Zuckerman? Hi. I'm Diane Zuckerman. Recently

063retired from Rondout Valley Central School District in June 2025. I completed 27 dedicated years as a Spanish teacher and nearly a decade as the human rights public advisor in the district. I am here again to urge the Rondout school board to adopt the Safe Schools resolution in its entirety because as a resident and former Rondout faculty, I care about the district and our community. And I have deep insight into how we can improve. Recently, I spoke at a community event. Afterwards, a sixth grader came to me and told me that every day when she went to school, she was worried that her friend, who is from an immigrant family, would be taken. She said she watched out for her friend and is totally stressed out by it. She implored that she just wants to be

064a kid and not have to worry about the safety of her friend. No child or their families [clears throat] should ever feel afraid to come to school, and their friends should not feel worried. Children should feel safe at school so they can just be kids and learn. Years ago on a superintendent's conference day, the district brought in the guest speaker, Barbara Coloroso, author of author of this book, The Bully, The Bullied, and The Bystander. So, this is the book. Um the author focused on the bystander, giving us strategies about standing with people as allies instead of watching them be bullied. The author tells us that bystanders are complicit through their inaction. Nobody should feel afraid, marginalized, targeted, or isolated in our schools. Now is the time to take action. Adopting the Safe Schools resolution provides

065a solid message to our community that Rondout is not a bystander, watching people as they live in terror with the potential threat of being targeted by federal immigration enforcement. The resolution with guidance from the National Education Association provides a clear safe zone declaration, committing to protecting students and families from non-local law enforcement, including ICE, in all school settings. It provides protocols for non-local law enforcement, clear student data protection, multilingual communications, staff training, as well as other basic protections. Students and families deserve to feel safe at school. Passing the Safe Schools resolution in its entirety would provide this security. Um and as Principal Torok spoke about a focus on improving feelings of belonging, social emotional learning, and positive climate and culture, this would put us in the right direction. Thank you. Our community is counting on

066you. Thank you. Valeria You're going to have to help me with the last name, please. Um it's Georgiu. Georgiu. Thank you. Hi, my name is Valeria Georgiu. I'm actually here to talk about gun safety. Um I'm a resident, but also now that I'm a Rondout resident, too, I I didn't know about that last grade. Um I am an immigrant. I live in Kerhonkson. I came here from age three from Romania. My parents were were devastated by the communist revolution. It was corrupt. They don't have social It was okay, in my opinion. You know, that side. Um so, >> [laughter] >> but you know, they suffered land loss, labor camps, imprisonment, political, you know, persecution, blacklisting because my great my grandfather as as an medic in the army helped free Jews get out from from the

067enclosure. Romania was on the wrong side of things. Jimmy Carter signed the most favored nation status on Romania uh in exchange for international human rights principles, the reunification of family, which is an international human right, which is why we need to keep families together. They're separating families. This is an utmost primal human need to [clears throat] be in a united family. And um you know, we came here when I was three, and I my my family dispersed. Luckily, I had my parents and my sister and I was raised up in this country and I knew that I had to fight for human rights, so I became an attorney because I knew if if we fled a country that was corrupt, that in this country there was nowhere else to flee because we already did it.

068So, you know, we all have that responsibility as immigrants, especially living on stolen land. We have a responsibility to them, too. It's their land to welcome immigrants, not ours. You know, and and there are movements with Native Americans doing that. So, I am very grateful for my upbringing up here in the US, in New York. I love New York. You know, I grew up in the Hudson Valley in New York City and you know I had a few years of learning my English. And but you know, like it's really important to keep families whole and I'm I'm blessed that I had my whole family and my grandmother came with me. My father was a gymnastics Romanian champion Olympian coach of the men's team and my mother was a doctor and you know, we petitioned and

069we got petitioned by my grandfather and anyway, so I'm here and I'm grateful and I'm just urging you to also pass that resolution as a I don't have children here. I hope I can still have children, but I am a resident. I grew up here and I want to ensure that our children receive the same role models and human human rights values that that I've been instilled with in my community where I grew up in Ulster New York predominantly down in Westchester. So, I moved here in 2008. I made this my home Ulster County. I was committed to I lived in Kingston Woodstock and now Ulster. I bought a house in 2017. And finally, I just want to talk about gun safety just briefly. I really respect what you had to say, you know, that

070opened up my mind to see how the changes in the police police forces has happened in relation with youth. I knew I knew about the Police Athletic League as well, but I also want to ask the school board, are you are you creating programs to teach peace to children? Are you teaching them how to meditate? Are you teaching them how to yoga? Do yoga? Because when you have a peaceful when you when you teach peace to children, they bring it to their friends. They resolve their own conflicts on on their own. It doesn't have to be religious. It doesn't even have to be spiritual. You just sit and meditate. Teach them how to breathe. Are you doing that? And also are you teaching gun safety because that's never going to go away. So, thank you

071very much for listening. Fresh Stenger? Did I say that correct? Yes, Stenger. Thanks. I'm a parent here in the school district. My daughter's been in school district 5 since pre-K. And I don't have a lot of like an eloquent speech, but I think most people have already said it. I arrive in support of the safe schools resolution. I urge this board to take on and follow the example of other schools in your district. I think it's what Jesus would want for us to keep our families together and safe and to lower the stress and the terror that is in you know, um in this world. So, so let's provide a safe peaceful example to the world here in Ulster County. And I also want to say that I actually really appreciate this school district and

072how um caring and nurturing it as a whole that the school district is. The staff are phenomenal and I think that yes, the police presence since my daughter has been in kindergarten has always been harmonious and peaceful and attitudes and the security and respect. And so I I actually really appreciate that. I think you know, that might not be true of every school district, but it is true in this. So, thank you. Mr. McDonald? Hi, Robert McDonald, president of the AR VF. I just wanted to say that the AR VF also supports the safe schools resolution. So, I I would urge you to think about adopting them. Thank you. Mr. President, members of the board, next on the agenda is the memorandum of agreement with the Rondout Valley paraprofessional unit of the Rondout Resolution for

073teacher transfer and abolishment of position. Recommend a motion that the Rondout Valley Central School District is facing a financial shortfall and is working to meet the changing demographics of the residents of the district. Whereas the district is abolishing positions, whereas Article 23.1 of the collective bargaining agreement between the district and the Rondout Valley Federation of Teachers in effect from July 1st, 2022 through July through June 30th, 2027. When the district determines that it may be necessary to reduce the size of its workforce, it shall notify the Federation of the fact at least 60 days prior to the effective date of the abolishment of any position. At the request of the Federation, the superintendent shall meet the president of the Federation or or his or her designee to discuss the proposed reductions as presented. I'll make

074the motion. I'll second. Any discussion? I think that this is the same question I've had in the past, Paul, when we have these kind of resolutions where each one I'm assuming it's all been already discussed with this individual and and you know, things are okay and move forward from their perspective as well. >> Yes, actually met with the we double-checked and Mr. Hardesty met with that individual today. Thank you. All those in favor? I. Opposed? Motion carries. Next on the agenda on the agenda is a memorandum of agreement with the Rondout Valley paraprofessional unit of the Rondout Valley Federation. I recommend a motion that the Board of Education upon the recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools hereby approves the MOA between the Rondout Valley paraprofessional unit of the Rondout Valley Federation and the Rondout Valley

075Central School District as presented. I'll make the motion. I'll second. Any discussion? All those in favor? I. Opposed? Motion carries. Next on the agenda is the MOA of the Rondout Valley Administrators and the Professionals Association. I recommend a motion that the Board of Education upon the recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools hereby approves the MOA between the Rondout Valley Administrators and Professionals Association and the Rondout Valley Central School District as presented. I'll make a motion. I'll second. Any discussion? All those in favor? I. Opposed? Motion carries. Next on the agenda is another MOA with the Rondout Valley Administrators and Professionals Association. I recommend a motion that the Board of Education upon the recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools approves the MOA between the Rondout Valley Administrators and Professionals Association and the Rondout Valley Central School

076District as presented. I'll make a motion. I'll second. Any discussion? All those in favor? I. Opposed? Motion carries. Next on the agenda is another MOA with the Rondout Valley Administrators and Professionals Association. I recommend a motion that the Board of Education upon the recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools approves the MOA between the Rondout Valley Administrators and Professionals Association and the Rondout Valley Central School District as presented. I'll make the recommendation. I'll second. Any discussion? All those in favor? I. Opposed? Motion carries. Next on the agenda before I do the EPC presentation, I'd like to give the EV bus update. We presented to the planning board committee of the town of Rochester and the meeting was was very constructive and positive. First Student who we contract out with their buses outlined the project background and

077implementation plan. While both the school district and the Ulster County expressed strong support with building the charging stations in the town of Rochester, emphasizing the community benefits and the importance of retaining federal funding for this project. Planning board members acknowledged the value of the project and expressed general support for the EV initiatives. The project must proceed through the established local permitting process. First Student has been asked to submit a detailed site safety plan including information on EV and fire safety and references based on similar deployments in nearby areas and the planning board of the town of Rochester will also advise on any required environmental documentation as well. And we are we are cited to be on the next planning board meeting agenda, which is scheduled for May 11th. So, we're we're making progress trying to

078get permits to get the charging stations built in the town of Rochester. And I have a question on this also. My understanding is the state still has not backed off of their mandate for school districts to have electric buses by 2035. 2035. 2035. Can't find [clears throat] it. That's 20 years. So I mean my perspective still is what it was 3 years ago when we first got this grant. If we can't make this work, we're going to eventually have to put the bill to purchase these buses. And I think we need to do as a community what we need to do to ensure that we get these these chargers in place. So I'm grateful Paul for you to you know really be pushing the town of Rochester to move this forward and find a solution.

079So thank you. Uh next on the agenda is the EPC presentation. So if worst case scenario if this doesn't work out, we have a a contingency plan. And our contingency plan is to do uh what's called uh an energy performance contract through our architects uh CPL. And a brief presentation about what an EPC is. Uh this table highlights what's what savings an EPC can bring uh to Rondout with future charging infrastructure uh resulting in a net profit for the district. Uh you see the financial component. It's a it's it's a 20-year value. So this will be over 20 years this EPC. It's guaranteed energy savings and solar value. So that's over $6 million. Uh again if we can't get the charging stations uh in the town of Rochester, this could help bring the charging stations

080uh to our district. Uh which will help save that that cost. And with a net program benefit of almost $2 million if we go through the EPC. Again if the board approves uh the resolution tonight to do the investment grade audit, um that's a 4 months. It's basically collecting data as to how we can save energy in specific locations uh within the district. Um the district will enter into uh the contract with ESG. That is the vendor that will be actually doing the work um in in collaboration with with CPL. But they're CPL was is the one that um or us also with CPL uh did an RFP with the EPC and we recommended ESG for the for that RFP. CPL after that will complete the design uh through the EPC and then SED approval

081and permitting after that for 3 months. And then the project is funded through escrow. So we basically take a loan out and um that's how we would begin paying for the EPC and the first payment is not until uh 2028. Again theoretically what you're supposed to do and basically how it works is we're going to be saving money and on all the things that they're going to change with solar with with improving LED lighting with our with um HVAC and EVs. Um the savings from um from those criteria that we're going to implement will again uh help offset the costs uh with the EPC. So again this time sensitive because there's still a lot of grants out there to take advantage of of this with tax credits and grant funding through NYSERDA, through the federal

082government uh cuz those grants are going away. Again the $10 million grant that we received from the EPA um that that is in jeopardy if we don't get these charging stations up and running shortly. Uh EPA clean bus funding is at risk if if progress stalls. Um charging incentive value could be lost or reduced. 30% federal ITC value is at risk uh if that slips past uh 20 12 31 of 27. Again it's another $7 million savings we could get by doing this EPC. Uh combined federal funding at risk is is roughly 17 million. Again what we just talked about electric the electric bus mandate is not going away. We don't want the taxpayers to you know flip this uh million dollars of investments that we have to uh go through with this the EV

083state mandate. So if we proceed now there's zero impact on taxpayers. We preserve the 10 million um with our through the EPA funding with our EV buses and infrastructure. We lock in the investment tax credit which is $7 million value. Uh we control the scope, the pricing and the schedule. And we use savings like I said earlier from the EPC to help fund uh the charging and the charging stations. If we wait and do nothing, we get we we risk potentially losing uh all of this uh federal grant money. So the administration is recommending to move forward uh with the EPC. There's no payments during instruct during the construction period which will be begin uh in um you know early next year to the end of and the first payment will be due uh on

084the EPC in the fall 28. We also met with our uh fiscal advisor our financial advisor about this as well too. He's he's recommending also to pursue this. However he is recommending that that the community votes on this. And the reason being is we may probably put this on the ballot in December is we would save 10% in state aid. So if the board just approves the EPC, we only get 55% of building aid. Whereas if the community votes on the EPC, we get our full 65% of building aid on building projects in the future. So what the board is what we're recommending to the board tonight is just to approve the investment grade audit. So ESG will come in, put the sensors all over the place, collect the data and then see how much

085money we can actually save. Is there a question in the future are we talking about buildings or for having a building for these buses or is this all going to be outside nature? Yes. Outside. >> [clears throat] >> Yeah. I can I can I ask something? So I was at the presentation I was at the facilities committee. Um it's pretty interesting what they're going to do. The the company is going to come in and kind of audit every single building that we we own and find energy savings throughout every building. LED lights, uh boilers, uh solar can be done. Um there's there's a lot of options for for them to look at. Um but the most interesting thing is is they have uh they put on the table basically a guaranteed savings per year. And

086if we do not meet that savings, they will they will give us that money back. So I think I think it's $650,000. Is that the I think that was the number, right? I believe it was $650,000. Once they implement all of the uh the projects, they're guaranteeing us $650,000 a year [clears throat] in savings. So if we show that we do not get that in savings, they're going to give us that money back. That's a $6.6 million in savings. So that's that's over the 20 years. So I I do I I agree with this. I think we should go forward with it coming out of the facilities committee. And it does give us that second option for the EV chargers was like a plan B if it doesn't go through with the town of Rochester.

087That's going to they're going to look at chargers charging stations for the buses. Can I just say that what I'm hearing is a lot of acronyms. Um is this this is not instead of the EV buses. This is to get us the money we need to install the charging stations ourselves. This is a contingency plan. So say the the town of Rochester cuz we've had a big hurdle trying to get permits to build to get we have the infrastructure. We have the charging stations. We're ready to just put them on the lot. But we're getting a lot of of resistance from the town of Rochester. But we made some progress at the last planning board meeting. So we have to They're worried about safety. It's all about safety. What if these things catch on fire?

088You know you you know you can't put them out. Is there enough room on the lot to take a bus out of there so the other buses don't catch on fire? And what about 209 if something happens there you know heaven forbid if the buses you know taking our students home and you know if the the bus catches on They're all about They're all about safety. It's all about fire safety. Uh but again we've had um Ulster County does have EV public transportation like their UCAT buses. Most of them are EVs and their Mr. Our County Executive was at the planning board supporting this project and they haven't had any issues with their buses up to this point. And they've been having EV buses up and running in public transit for the last 6 years.

089So is this contingency plan instead of the EV buses? We still want to pursue the EPC uh because it's still a cost savings with energy. Great. Uh We can eventually put the charging stations on here if we have to. But we'd rather for for cost effectiveness we'd rather and being fiscally responsible, we'd rather have the the charging stations on uh the the current bus lot cuz it would be it would be a more of a cost to the to the district if if the charging stations were here. This really is this has two parts really. So there's the part A which they're going to go around to every building and review every building and come up with ideas and and cost savings. And then there's the part B which is the EV charging stations. So

090if the town passes it with the charging stations, then we're not going to do the part B to have charging stations on our premises. Although we did talk about it. I mean if the state is really pushing for every school district to have EV buses, it would probably be advantageous to have at least a few charging stations here for visiting schools Yeah if the you know sports or something or and there's buses coming here that we can have the the infrastructure for them to charge those buses, so. But there is a part A and a part B. The part B is the charging stations, which we're not 100% sure. Um that's dependent on the town of Rochester's approval. So the buses are happening regardless. They're required, right? That's state mandated. But in the meantime, while

091we're waiting for town of Rochester to say we can move forward, this is a something we can do to ensure we don't lose funding. Correct. Correct. And then they're going to come up the the company's going to like I said, they're going to review every single building and they're going to recommend LED lighting, new boilers, solar on the roofs. And not penetrating any of our roofs. All ballast systems. Right, can you scroll cuz I I need The renderings, yeah. Yeah, these renderings are But but also So this is kind of what it would look like with the EPC. We have these covered awnings. This is the entrance into the middle school. So this would be a covered awning and on the covered awning would be solar. And this is also you can see that's the

092gander garden. So it's in the it's in the capital project to have concrete on the gander garden, but now we're looking at putting a huge pavilion on and that'll all be solar. Part of the EPC. And the walkway, see the walkway will connect will connect the middle school and high school. And that would be So these are just examples, right? Yeah, they're renderings. Right, but like this they're after they do the assessment, it may they may not do this, right? But this is something that This is something that could come about. And this is also in addition that looks like what our new new um music wing would look like too, the new addition and then you have the >> would look like this walkway. And this as this would go to the voters, we

093said. Yes, so we're still talking to our our financial advisors. It makes sense to us, but we're still in conversations, but it makes sense to us to save to save that 10% moving forward. Instead of the board approving the EPC, let's bring it out to the if the community approves it, we'll still have the same building aid that we get currently. And they're going to approve it No, then the board can approve it, but we would only get 55% back. Instead of the current 65%. Correct. Right. But if the voters going to tell you Saturday Yeah. And tonight you're just asking us for a vote on approving any of the audit. The investment grade audit where they're going to put sensors. This is the data collection. Take 4 months to figure out where the hotspots

094is it the is it the high school, you know, 500 wing? Is it the middle school, you know, fourth grade wing? Where are we spending the most money? They're going to collect all this data, figure out okay, this is where we're going to this is what we're going to do to make sure we're energy efficient in these areas. If it takes 4 months, then school ends during the summer too, right? 2 months off? Yeah. Are they going to be doing it over the summer? Cuz that won't be Right. That won't show our energy at full capacity, right? >> Yeah, I mean they're looking at all efficiencies. So they're looking at window I mean there's there was a a full gamut of of items that they're going to do. Windows, [clears throat] uh boilers, air conditioning.

095Um solar, you know, it's there was a huge huge list of things that they're going to look at and they're going to do. Uh insulation. And you see districts across the state are kind of going this route to you know, be energy efficient, uh save money and and theoretically it's it's we're hoping this uh once we have to start beginning payments, it's actually going to pay for itself. And again, if they if they're guaranteeing us the savings that they don't if we don't save that money with our with our energy, then you know, they're they're the deal is they will help you pay the rest of the bill. To the district. Any other questions for Rochester building? So uh EPC request for proposal recommend a motion that the Board of Education of the Rondout Valley

096Central School District solicit a request for proposals for qualified energy services companies for design and implementation of energy conservation measures. Whereas the school facilities as an energy performance contract EPC and that the school district receives a proposal from Energy Systems Group ESG in response to the request for proposals and based upon the review and evaluation of the proposals by the school districts consultant engineer CPL Architecture Engineering and Planning, the school district administration and CPL recommend that ESG proceed with a comprehensive energy audit investment grade audit of the school district facilities to determine the specific scope of energy conservation measures that it might be installed under an EPC as presented. I'll make the motion. I'll second it. Any discussion? All those in favor? Aye. Opposed? Motion carried. Uh termination of employee 02277 recommend a motion that

097the Board of Education approve the termination of employee number 02277 effective 41726 as presented. I'll make the motion. I'll second it. Any discussion? So sorry, I know it's the wrong And this one should be able to go into executive to discuss it, so if you'd like to do that, maybe that All those in favor? Aye. Opposed? And then you hold and then we table meeting two. We go into executive and then come back and vote on it. We can take action after we're done. Okay, can you make a motion? Um Can I make a mo- I'll make a motion to table item 11 for vote after executive session. I'll second that. Any discussion? All those in favor? Aye. Opposed? Okay, motion carried. We table it to the end. Mhm. Next on the agenda is policy

0988505 charging meals and other food items, first reading and adoption. Recommend a motion that the Board of Education approve the first reading and adoption of policy 8505 charging meals and other food items as presented. I'll make the recommendation. I'll second it. Any discussion on the policy? All those in favor? Aye. Opposed? Motion carried. Uh next on the agenda is policy 8520 free meal services, first reading and adoption. Recommend a motion that the Board of Education approve the first reading and adoption of policy 8520 free meal services as presented. I'll make the recommendation. I'll second it. Any discussion? All those in favor? Aye. Opposed? Motion carried. >> [clears throat] >> Uh policy 8130 school safety plans and teams, first reading and adoption. Recommend a motion that the Board of Education approve the first reading and adoption

099of policy 8130 school safety plans and teams as presented. I'll make the motion. I'll second it. Any discussion? All those in favor? Aye. Opposed? Motion carried. Uh Superintendent Schools consent agenda items 1 through 15. Recommend a motion that the Board of Education approves the revised consent agenda items 1 through 15 as presented. I'll make the motion. I'll second first. I'll second. Any discussion? Um so the RFP approval for 3 plus one um I know you presented it to us um Um what are the budget getting me into they think it's a building that you're looking into how we can generate more revenue. Um I think there were three references listed in the RFP. Have you reached out to them? Do you know they I I know two schools I talked to two schools. And then

100they did kind of like a high ROI but was worth it for them. They're bigger budgets, but yes. Um and our attorney has reviewed the contract terms, the RFP. You're like okay, go on with everything, but um Okay, and I guess this connects to the first question, but I just before we commit to that fee, there's an annual fee. I think just make like how confident are we that we're going to generate that much anymore to cover the cost? >> [clears throat] >> Based on the value of our interest that's sitting idle and the interest we're earning on them, right? It's pretty so we've a chance we got. Okay. It's very guaranteed. We're trying to earn 600. Right. It's another way to get some more revenue for the district. Any other discussion? I had a

101question about number 10. I just remembered. The um the arm of the sea productions contract that um is in conjunction with high meadow school, I think. That is correct. We're sharing that? How's that working out for you guys? I'm curious about that. Yeah, um so that's title money that we get federal grant money. Okay. So it does go to Pine Bush and they're getting that money. And it is for seed production which um is academic enrichment. So it's just for Pine Bush and their own. Okay, okay. There's something else on here as well, right? That is um I think it was like training. Correct. Professional development. And we are required They are required, yes. Those funds are for that school. And that is not because they're serving students in the district. Correct, yeah. Thank you,

102Mr. Arndt. Any other discussion? All those in favor? Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. Dr. Spadero. >> to recognize we have some tenured teacher appointments. And I I'd ask the principals if they want to introduce their new tenured teachers. I'd like to introduce my two tenured teachers who are sitting next to each other over there. Uh I'd like to mention first Evan O'Shea. Uh we discovered Kevin town. We discovered Kevin accidentally in late August of four years ago. That's the last thing. We found him. We interviewed him virtually. Where were you? He was in South Hampton, Long Island. >> [laughter] >> But we we really We liked the fact that Kevin would come in and teach us what he was going to be doing because we really didn't know. So he created a program over four years

103that many of you have heard about and are impressed with. He is loved by the students and has such potential to grow so many things here and we're thrilled to announce that Kevin is being recommended tonight. And secondly, we have our own Rachel Adams who while she is here for four years and has been immersed in our new program for ELA, she also managed before she was even appointed in a probationary appointment to cover I think a record number of leave replacements. In one year from September to June, she did maternity leave, she did a medical leave and another maternity leave in all three grades and was very successful. She is also loved by her students and has worked closely with Natalie in the Amplify program and has made it come to life for her

104students and we are very very proud of her and thrilled to announce her tenure tonight. Thank you, Ms. Okay. So I have the pleasure to introduce Mr. Jaden Broadhead who is up for tenure this evening. So him and I have had a full circle moment. It was my first year at the high school in year '17-'18 where I was an assistant principal and he was a was a senior and we got pretty close. Um we had a very um passionate vice principal that really started moving in our high school really in short and really kind of uh looked at past practices just to ensure belonging and inclusivity and really started a such positive movement. It's really difficult and difficult and courageous work. And um when I found out he was going to Oneonta and he

105wanted to be a social studies teacher, I said I don't know if I'm even going to have an opening in four years, but don't forget about this place. I want you teaching here at Rondout. And then three and a half years later, Oneonta had reached out to me and said we're looking for a replacement. His name is Jaden Broadhead. I said name it, we'll be there. And he actually was teamed up with his cooperating teacher was Mr. Broadhead which was also his vice mentor. And then there were it just happened that there was an opening and he's been working for us ever since. He's extremely um uh student-centered. Uh he has a background in instructional technology to really kind of enhance and accelerate learning. He's a safe space for all of our students. About 20

106or 20 five students leave the cafeteria just to eat lunch and you know they're like is this even allowed in Mr. Broadhead's room? And they're like yep. And uh he is just been a great asset to the building and to the social studies department. He's really collaborative, always coming up with new ideas with electives like let's get black history up and running and he's just with all of these ideas he's just always like right out of the bushes town and just really excited and there for kids. And I know he wants to be on more and more committees. He's finishing his masters and he has a tough time saying no. So sometimes I'm like you need this is enough on your plate you can't have too much on your plate. He's like I thought about

107it I'm going to take you up on that, but consider me next year. So I just really appreciate that. I have high hopes for him for many different reasons. Classes at the high school truly lucky to have him not only at Rondout high school, but also as the entire district. So congratulations, Jaden. Dr. Spadero and the board, I want to thank you very much for allowing us to do this. This is This is more than Yeah, tenure is a big deal. And and we haven't always started this way and we will continue this because of recognition for all of us in your future in the district. Taking the time to do this means a lot. Thank you. Thank you. And also a reminder too that on May 21st when we do the Thomas King award

108that evening, that award evening we also recognize all our tenured teachers again as well. So please please plan on being there. It is a special night. Congratulations and tenure is a big deal. Ulster County BOCES budget adoption. The recommended motion that the Board of Education adopt the Ulster County BOCES administrative budget in the amount of $7,420,327 for the 2026-2027 school year as presented. I'll make a motion. I'll second. Any discussion? All those in favor? Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. Um Dr. Spadero, the video that they put up, he will be posting it on our website. At the Ulster BOCES. Um Ulster BOCES board member election. Recommended motion that the Board of Education approve the following Ulster BOCES board vacancy seat number one uh Sagaties, Krista Barringer, seat number two at large, Donald Green, Wallkill, seat number

109three at large, Marla Kaplan, Ellenville, seat number four at large, Suzanne Jordan, Kingston as presented. I'll make a motion. I'll second. Any discussion? All those in favor? Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. Uh President I kind of said it before. Uh next month um for our meetings on May 5th, we will have the uh budget presentation. The public public hearing and we also have meet the candidates night. Um it will be held in the auditorium. Okay, that evening. And then on Thursday, May 21st as I mentioned before, it is um uh I think one of the most special nights as well is our Thomas King uh uh evening where we do recognize our tenured uh teachers, those members of our uh our faculty and staff that are retiring as well as those that are receiving the distinguished

110award. So I do encourage everybody to be there. It will be a wonderful night. Refreshments to be uh to be served afterwards. And the the uh um nominations go till this Friday, correct? So till till the 24th. So please get those nominations in. Carolyn, I'm sorry. What was the the date of the meet the candidates night? Meet the candidates will be May 5th. Monday, May 5th. Tuesday, May 5th. I'm kidding. It was May 5th, but it's Tuesday. I don't know why I thought it was a Monday. It's getting to be past my bedtime. >> [laughter] >> Okay, the um Thomas King is a Thursday. May 21st. What time, Jim? [clears throat] Yes. Uh we recently uh finished a policy survey and compliance review and it was not not because we did anything bad. Uh it

111was just something that we hadn't done in about 10 years and uh I think my name is Woody Schabert from the New York State School Boards Association. Uh gave us uh pretty good accolades as to our policies. Uh there were some things that uh she looked at. Uh She made like three separate lists. Again, I don't Kristen Uh We were at the meeting last night, but one of the things that they told us to look at was look at the list if there was Uh items that were rescinded that we would uh get rid of those items. Do we really need those items? Uh the second one was that if we're missing anything Uh or if we're going to review anything, don't just review the policies like all at once. Like take them a little

112chunks at a time as we're looking through them. So, as a policy committee, that's what we'll be undertaking. And the third thing was anything that's uh not reflected or marked okay, uh they would want to know whether we would want to keep it or not. Again, that's something that we'll uh review on the policy committee. There was a policy uh that we were going to have a reading uh 8121.2 about the AED. Uh uh we are eliminating that uh policy because it is already in our safety plan. Okay. And we are still in the process of reviewing uh policy number 2160, uh which is about uh school district officer and employee code of conduct. And that is an ongoing policy that we'll be doing. Uh so, we'll continue to look at that and bring you

113any information once we make changes or have changes made to that. Uh we've also had policy number 5040 uh on student religious expression. We're still reviewing that policy. Okay. Budget uh any other policy members would like to add? That was great. Okay. Yeah, thank you for that. Yeah, thanks, Jen. That's good. Great. Uh we had a curriculum committee meeting this week. Uh or no, last week. Last week. Last week. Um and so, we looked at a lot of different things. So, I'll just give you a little bit of an overview. Um the first was looking at curriculum implementation, and there's still really strong progress with this. Um Staff in K to 6 math and K to 5 ELA with the new curriculums. Middle school programs are also continuing to improve and adjustments are being made

114to better meet student needs. Um we also looked at benchmark data for K through 8 math, and benchmark data is also being used during cabinet meetings to inform updates to curriculum maps. Um professional development plan is in progress. So, this is updated every 2 years. So, the 2-year plan is currently being developed by a district-wide special development committee. And the plan will be aligned with district and Board of Education goals, and is expected to be completed by September. Um the focus includes job embedded learning, so like career connected learning. Well, on on site. Oh, okay. >> Yeah, whoever comes to give a professional development. Okay. Oh, got it. Got it. Um curriculum implementation alignment with uh NYSED priorities. Uh specifically portrait of a graduate and project-based learning. Um and there's also continued focus on progress

115monitoring and intervention systems, so AIS and TSS systems, making sure students are receiving the targeted support that they need based on their unique needs. Um and now we shared what the AIS 2 processes and guidelines are for each school. And we're also looking at the home learning policy. So, um the curriculum committee's going to be reviewing the policy, making some recommendations, and then passing it off to the policy committee. Okay, thanks. >> [laughter] >> And then our next meeting is May 18th at 5:00 p.m., and there will be a the SEL curriculum presentation and adoption at that meeting. Um so, that's it for curriculum committee. And then I also wanted to let everyone know that the Rondout Valley Education Foundation has a fundraiser event coming up, the Skate for Our Schools event, which is on

116May 29th from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. They do have a link. If you ask me for it, I'll send you the link. It's not easy to say it though, so um they might put it on their website. Maybe we share through the district. Tells us what we can do. Um they did it last year, and it was great. You know, bring the kids, raise money for all the great programs that happen here. Um and then the other thing that happened 2 weeks ago? No, maybe I'm losing track of time, but we had a great meeting of Dr. Spadero, Carrie, and like four or five people who were all involved in um farm to school initiative, so like the Rondout Valley Growers Association, Crop Shop, Community Food Works, Farm to School Procurement uh specialist with CCE,

117which is the Cornell Well, our local Cornell extension. Yes, RVGA, which stands for Rondout Valley Growers Association. Also, McKenzie uh Rondout High School teacher is here. Um yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Uh one more. There was one more. Uh Celeste Rondout School from Milestone Management. Thank you. And the topic of our meeting was food. Yes, thank you. And how you're inside on the contract. And um I was the person with the least amount of knowledge about this stuff in the room, but it was amazing to see the district bring all these people together to really think about how we bring um more local food into our schools, healthier options for students. Um and I think the next step is connecting them with food services, who is our Yeah, meeting scheduled with them is May. May is great.

118So, yeah, they can be here. I'll bring you the update already. That's it. Good. Uh I unfortunately was was unable to make the last facilities committee meeting, and busy week. I think Carrie might share some things to say. >> Okay. Um I would though like to give a shout-out to Dr. Spadero and the principals that are here. Um you know, as my first year on the board, watching these Gander Spotlights as they come up is very impressive um you know, to recognize our wonderful teachers, the wonderful staff, the wonderful students that we have here. So, um thank you for bringing that. Thank you for putting those you know, power points together and and recognizing those people. Okay. Budget committee. Yeah. Okay. Um we have a meeting tomorrow. Um and I saw the agenda. Yeah. It'll

119be good. I just wanted to thank Paul and Catherine who were the time and energy and reworking figures and getting things done. Um it's quite different from what it was. Um and everything that you said about curriculum is more than I hoped it would be, but uh the home the home learning you're looking at, and yeah, Jen, we're getting it where we got it. >> [laughter] >> Um a nice shout-out to the the Hall of Pride induction was really impressive. Um the four Gary-worthy honorees, and to be able to say that they are graduates. I know we have others out here, but they were very impressive. The speeches that were given were extremely inspiring. And so, yeah, nice job. I I felt really proud to have also been a Rondout graduate, but uh to see

120where these people have gone and where they started and where they wound up is just awesome. Okay. You can go. Okay. Thanks. Um Uh so, a few learning walks. Some of these feel like a really long time ago. It's been a while since we had full time. Um I was at the middle of the intermediate high school uh intermediate junior high. Um and uh was able to observe a seventh grade trumpet lesson with six students, um which was they sounded amazing, um and they were able to share a little bit about um performing um just the weekend before together. Um also saw a modified uh PE class, uh which apparently was something they formed um a couple years ago, uh a 15 one class and a life skills class. There were bean bags, hula hoops.

121They sort of created their own game. Um and it was it was um a lot of kids like really working together um and having a really great time. That was really good to see. Um also um uh observed a fourth grade music class. Um they watched a video. Um I think it's it's called an of an Irish bodhrán drum. I'm looking at Dr. Spadero cuz he was there, too. Um and so, they watched that. They talked about it. Um and then in sort of small groups they began to to sort of play, um and they played a song called Rattlin Bog, and it was just absolutely beautiful. All right. It was really It was quite amazing. Exactly. It was fantastic. Um also went on a high school learning walk. Um I was able to tour

122the greenhouse, which I've actually not done before. I saw pastas, basil, cilantro, peppers, snapdragons, strawberries. I'm sure there's so so many more now um than there were then. I also heard that they do uh a May plant sale, maybe a seedling sale, which sounds great, which I'm going to look out for. Um also, I met a one of the music teachers at the high school, Um observed the saxophone lesson, and I'm really the teacher there explaining the the chorus band having sort of a shared space now. And I I saw the two practice rooms and they explained the you know as part of the new capital campaign the new music space which I was thinking of as a sort of the band space. Because the chorus will I think stay where they are. The band

123space will move to sort of the new music wing. It will have so much more storage which I now know having toured that they need that. Instruments take up a lot of space. And there will be four practice rooms designed for better acoustics and lighting which is great. Also the learning expo which again feels like a really long time ago but it really wasn't was fantastic. There's just so much more going on. It also looked like there were just so many more parents and people there and community members there. There was a raffle this year maybe there was last year too but that was something I noticed. Walking through the hallways in between parent teacher conferences and seeing everything on the wall and at the tables and talking to students was pretty exciting. There was

124one project in particular. I hadn't spoken with him before but Mr. Broadhead you were somebody I talked with in the hallway. Sorry to bring that up but and it was sort of like graffiti I was thinking of it as like graffiti art. We talked about it a little bit and it was some students did one on their own and some I think collaborated in partnerships or whatever about a topic they were really interested in and talk about relevant super relevant. And just just amazing and Jeff you you mentioned relevant being something sort of really important in terms of high school students and I definitely saw that at the expo. So I'm very impressed very impressed with that event. There've been two equity council meetings since we've had board time. At one of them we talked

125about integrating the CRSE work I'm into portrait of the grad portrait of portrait of graduate. We are a pilot district which I didn't know one of the first districts of the partner with NYU in terms of integrating those two things. Kevin O'Shea came and he shared a bit about the diversity club with the fourth to eighth graders. Those club he shared about how those clubs also participate in community events and recently there was an event at Skate Time which I think was organized by Celeste Project Hudson Valley LGBT Center Future Perfect Project LGBTQ and then also talked a little bit about the New Paltz Pride Parade which is coming up on June 6th. Victor Cuevas zoomed in during this meeting from the Ulster County Defense Network. He talked about the resolution and the safe schools

126resolution that was adopted by Kingston and Saugerties. He said at Kingston he's been working with Ulster Rapid Response for the know your rights training which is about how to identify ICE what a judicial warrant looks like that sort of thing and that's something that we have already done as you know and we're doing for our faculty towards the end of May. New Paltz is still in conversation about it. They did request just like us the know your rights training. One of the things that he offered was that he would do if we would like to free of charge a know your rights training for us as a board. He would and that would be he thinks about 30 minutes something like that over zoom. He's also happy to work with the SROs answer questions that

127sort of thing if we would like. And he mentioned that he was happy to share what he's learned about the way ICE operates what they wear what they say where they show up and basically that it's just sort of an ever changing landscape. At the next equity council meeting we had Chris Frenza a director of technology. He did a demo for us on some translation services. So the idea is to place iPads at the entry in the front office of each building. He will have installed the Apple translation app. We will be able to translate in Spanish Ukrainian and Mandarin which are all languages spoken within our district. We still have a question about Urdu not sure if it supports that language so that's something for us to look at. We are also discussed posting

128a note in different languages letting people know when they sign in that translation is possible. And in terms of communicating with parents we wondered how should we send in photo parents can we do that in their native language. Also our website is is translatable. We're also looking at moving the accessibility features on our website to make them more easily seen. Worth noting that our website thought exchanges finance surveys I think many of our newsletters are all translatable. So none none of the things that I'm talking about necessarily is new but we all know it makes a big difference and so we're really thinking about how to systematize it and about the training and that sort of thing. So Mr. Frenza's team will train the front office for now with the iPads and then he'll do

129an orientation in September for faculty and staff. And then because we're thinking about parent teacher conferences and all of the other ways we might need translation services they can use their phones or iPads they could use they could use Apple they could use Google Translate that'll sort of be up to them. Everyone will use Parent Square that will replace Infinite Campus Voice and Smore. And then we discussed the feedback events for next year. We discussed the six components of a portrait of a graduate and having a series of events for parents and students. We we also decided that meeting that maybe instead of trying to cram it into the end of this year that we might think about that series for next year and maybe focus on a feedback session for this year towards the

130end of May just having to do with the finance survey. Special Olympics has been scheduled for May 15th. And Meg will you just share a little bit about the special ed advocacy group update? Sure. Just a brief recognition of them which I've done several times throughout her recognitions but I just think it's notable that the special education advocacy committee is made up of dozens of high school students at this time. They typically over and meet with me once a month sometimes two times a month sometimes twice a month because special Olympics is coming up quickly now and they are preparing and planning for the banner presentation ceremony so that will be student driven as well as you know just really focusing on developing their leadership skills. So they're working on a letter that will go

131out to the district principals talking about an activity that they are going to go work on all of our students with all of our students K through 12. So we're in the finishing final stages of that planning over the next couple of weeks they'll be coming over with me. That's about the other Olympics for this. What's the date of that? For which the Special Olympics. It's May 15th. Thank you. >> Yes. I also attended a safety committee meeting which focused on lockdown procedures and also we talked a bit about energy drinks. There are a lot of folks in the school especially the nurses that have noticed a connection between energy drink consumption and behavioral things coming up or not feeling well and that sort of thing. And then the last thing just so we've heard

132a lot about the safe school resolution at each of our meetings and I wonder if it's just something that we could talk about as a board. Just like having an open discussion about. That's it. So at our last facilities committee meeting we had the EPC which is presentation which stands for the energy performance contract. All right. That's what that stands for. So we had the presentation. It was it was very very detailed. Again we just voted on it and passed it so that's good. I think long term I think we'll save save schools some some money so that's that's that's always a plus. We talked about the capital project. We're closing out 2019 project which is good. Hopefully that's completely going to be closed out in June right? It must be or else. Okay. So

133that's 2019 should be done and we're progressing with the new 2025 capital project. Next meeting is May 6th. Everybody's welcome to come. It's June. I remember but when we get them so Do you have anything for us tonight? Not really. I think Ms. Clark kind of covered everything. >> [laughter] >> She stole your thunder. Yeah thank you. So it's been a while actually since we had the learning expo. I didn't get to comment on the last board meeting but I do want to just highlight the work of our students. It's really just amazing walking through and like every year Ms. Clark what you and and the the students in in the high school for more depth learning and you know your actual kind of practical projects and really you know exciting to see so thank

134you. But, I was flagged by um a friend and a teacher, and she directed me downstairs to the Take a Gander Treasures. And I was truly impressed by this. So, I do have a little blurb I'll read here um cuz most of you may not even know about this. I I didn't know about it, but I was really impressed when I heard about it. Take a Gander Treasures is a thrift shop run by students in the Skills Training and Employment Preparation Program, STEP. Primarily, these students are aged 18 to 22 and have completed 4 years in the high school life skills program. This transition transition to adulthood program was started this year as we moved to give students opportunities within the school building and district rather than sending them to a half-day school to work

135program run by the ARC. The students students keep the shop tidy and organized. They sort donations, stock the shelves, and help customers. Students are allowed to access the thrift store, and our social workers are utilizing it to help families in need. Everything is free, and although money is not changing hands, we have a cash register, and students are using it to practice their money skills. The community service club held held a food drive in the fall to initially stock the food pantry section of the shop, and since then we have partnered with the Rondout Valley food pantry for ongoing donations. We've saved the district money by having this program in-house, and the young adults are gaining good experience and taking pride in their work. Um so, I think just, you know, if the community could

136all consider this when they are making donations. I do believe this program does take food donations and and others, um and I believe can they reach out to you, Mr. for that or Yeah, Christine Jarvis would be the one. >> Christine Jarvis, [clears throat] okay. She said it's downstairs. Yeah, downstairs on the 200 level. I didn't even know there was a downstairs. It's just the downstairs and there's a down there. >> [laughter] >> Yeah, it was strategically located by the camera. We also have our kitchen down there, but we also have that access to the third street cuz we really wanted to open up to the community at some point after school hours for community to come in as well. So, we're starting with like a soft opening, keeping it internal with the idea of

137keeping it open for the entire community to access. Without like breaching security of the building, I don't know if they can access right there. Um I know Timothy had already spoken about the Rondout Valley Education Foundation, the Skate Skate Time. Skate for our school. On May 29th, um they will also will have They also have two other events. On June 27th, will be their second annual all class alumni reunion from 2:00 to 8:00 at Rough Cut. Um they last year they had over 100 alumni attend the event, so they're hoping for bigger, better. I know they're looking for um any former musicians and stuff just to have music played. So, if you are an alumnus, >> [laughter] >> I'm not saying that I can't. Well, no, but you could at least >> [clears throat] >>

138try, right? June 27th from 2:00 to 8:00. Um also, they have just uh sent out the Speak Officially, so last year they had their big gala. So, this year, Thursday, September 10th, um it will be at uh the um We move that. The uh The Crested Hen Farms right there in High Falls. They donated um the space to the RVEF. It's going to be Thursday night, September 10th at 6:00. It's the Gander Gala Soiree. Um so, they did start selling tickets already. Uh so, again, it's one of their big fundraisers. The Education Foundation really helps a lot with the grants um with for our teachers and our programs here, so um please consider uh supporting them. Good job. Can I get a recommended motion that the Board of Education approve consent agenda items 6 through

1398 as presented? I'll make a motion. Second. >> [clears throat] >> Any discussion? All those in favor? Aye. >> Aye. Opposed? Mr. Barrios, Chris? Yeah, I'd like to make a motion to move into executive um session to discuss item 11 under the superintendent agenda items. Action may be taken after executive session. Make a motion. Second. All those in favor? Any discussion? All those in favor? Aye. Aye. Opposed? Mr. Barrios? Aye. Mr. Chen? Mr. Heredia?