6/9/2026 Regular Board of Ed Meeting

001Okay, welcome everybody. I'm Philip Denine, president of the board of education. Would everyone please stand for the pledge to the flag? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. >> Okay, we have a nice turnout tonight. Just a quick fire code announcement. In the event of emergency, please be aware of your rear exits and your exits to your left and to your right. Um, tonight's Pride and Presentation is going to be pretty full and uh, we're going to be starting off with something that's going to be bittersweet. We're going to actually uh, recognize our retiree recognitions. So, with that, I will turn it over to Dr. Fitzgerald and the board

002will get a move forward and uh we'll sit there Good evening everyone. Is this on? Can you hear me? Yes. Hi. Good evening. I'm Cindy Fitzgerald. I'm the assistant superintendent of HR for the Icelip schools and what a pleasure and an honor to be able to kick off a retiree celebration. Uh it's one of the pride and joys of the work that we do. Um and we've got a a lot of nice things to say tonight. So, we're excited about it. Tonight is a special occasion as we recognize employees whose hard work, dedication, and years of service have made a lasting difference in the lives of our students. These individuals have devoted their careers to the students of the Icelip School District. They include teachers who opened minds and inspired dreams. Teaching assistants who offered

003patience, encouragement, and support. Clerical professionals who keep our schools running smoothly. Custodians and buildings and grounds employees who took pride in creating spaces where students could thrive. Food service workers who'd care for students each day in ways both seen and unseen. and security guards who work diligently to ensure that our schools remain safe places to learn and grow. Together, they help create the community that defines ISIL. Over the years, many people have said that those who work in schools are lucky, and they're right, but perhaps not for the reasons they intended. When people talk about being lucky to work in a school, they're usually talking about summer vacations. But that's not where the true good fortune lies. There is no luck involved in building a career in education. It takes unwavering commitment, perseverance, expertise, and

004tireless effort. The real gift of working in a school comes from being part of something extraordinary, a school community dedicated to children. Inside our schools, colleagues become friends and many become family. We celebrate milestones together, support one another through challenges, and form friendships that last a lifetime. We grow together, and in doing so, become part of something much bigger than ourselves. And perhaps, and most importantly, we have the privilege of spending our days with students. We witness their growth, celebrate their successes, and watch them become the people that they're meant to be. Few professions offer the opportunity to make such a lasting impact on the lives of others. And in that regard, we are truly fortunate. This is what makes those who chose a career in education truly lucky. As we recognize our retirees this

005evening, I hope they look back on their careers with pride, gratitude, and the knowledge that their work made a lasting difference in the lives of countless students and families. They did not have to dedicate their careers to serving students, but they chose to do so. And our community is better that they did. On behalf of the ISUB School District, thank you for your years of dedicated service, your commitment to our students, and the legacy you leave behind. Tonight, we celebrate you retirees. And now, without further ado, it's my pleasure to introduce our high school principal, Dr. Gonzalez. Would Miss Claudia Osorio please join me at the podium. While Miss Osorio is coming down, I would like to acknowledge her beautiful family who is present this evening. her wonderful husband who I've gotten to know and

006two of her three beautiful daughters, sons-in-laws, grandchildren, and I understand there are some who were listening in who couldn't be here this evening but are watching the live stream. So, this is for you. Please join me in recognizing Miss Claudia Osorio for her remarkable 19 years in Icelip schools. I have seen firsthand the profound impact that Mrs. Osorio has had on our school and her students. Mrs. Osorio is the quintessential student centered educator. You see, for nearly two decades as a Spanish and then later as an ENL or English as a new language teacher, Mrs. Doorio has prioritized her students needs and let me tell you fiercely advocated for them. Impossible to say no to Claudia. For the past 12 years, Mrs. Osorio has been a cornerstone of the ENL department. She has taught all

007levels of English to non-native speakers and co-taught various subject areas. You, Claudia, have endeavored to ensure that our English language learners have had access to the highest level of scholarship resources and the support that they need to be successful at our high school. In addition to Miss Osorio's English lessons, she builds bridges for her students so that they can connect with each other, their teachers across departments, and the larger school community. One of her colleagues said that Mrs. Osorio has been, and I quote, what a compassionate and loving teacher should be for all students. End quote. Mrs. focuses on making sure that her students reach their full potential. So, let's hear what the students have to say. One of her students said, and I quote, "Miss Osorio didn't just teach us a new language, she

008gave us our voice." Thank you, Mrs. Lorio for welcoming us, believing in us, and making us feel at home when everything else felt unfamiliar. Beyond her instructional excellence, the magic that she makes happen in the classroom, Mrs. Osorio has dedicated considerable time to our school's extracurricular programs. By supervising the star club, she provided a vital space for students to celebrate their heritage, develop their leadership skills, and build their confidence. Her mentorship of colleagues and students has left an indelible mark on our high school. Yet, her commitment extends beyond the school building. She's coordinated multiple field trips or field experiences for students on Long Island in the city and was a constant presence as a chaperone on our college awareness tours. I don't know what I would have done without you. She accompanied our students on

009trips to Boston, to Maryland, to the DC area because she knew, you knew that for many of those students, seeing a college campus for the first time was just the spark that they would need to realize that their own dreams were in their reach because of you. Another student wrote, and I quote, "Thank you for all the lessons you shared every day, for your advice, your patience, and your great dedication." And this student added in Spanish. So, I'm going to use the Spanish hereinho, which means, "I will always remember you with great affection." Me too, Claudia. Me too. Thank you for almost two decades of kindness, compassion, and unwavering dedication to the students in Iceland. We wish you a retirement that is wonderful and as rewarding as the legacy you leave behind. And now, as

010you often say, let's get this part started. Let's get this retirement part started. Thank you. I just I just want to thank the the Icel community, the ISIL school district for giving me the opportunity to have the best job, the best experience serving our students, serving This community has been an honor and a privilege for me and I will carry the ISLIP community in my heart for the rest of my life and I just want to say thank you. Muchas gracias. Muchas. Muchas gracias. Now, it's my honor to introduce Mr. Scott Jackson. I'm honored tonight to be able to talk about my assistant, Sue Hogan. Sue, would you stand up for a second? I won't make you stand up here if you don't want to, but you can if you want. >> Sue began at

011ISIL in 2006 and has held a number of different roles in different buildings throughout this district. I've gotten to know Sue best in our work together at the Office of Student Support Services. On paper, Sue is responsible for supporting students and families in their preschool years as they navigate preschool special education services. She supports these students as they transition to Wing Elementary School and also supports students and families who are attending programs outside of the district buildings. In reality, she does so much more. Sue is my right-hand person. She tries to keep me organized unsuccessfully. Manages timelines, calendars, appointments, and responsibilities with other agencies from Nassau County to Montalk. Sue has a memory like a steel trap. She never forgets a birthday, a milestone, an anniversary, and important family events. Sue is the glue that

012holds our office family together. You see, Sue is a great listener. She is This is why she is the person that so many people seek out when they need support or just a vent. They know Sue will listen, pay attention to what they have to say, and remember what they're going through. It's not uncommon to see a revolving line of people coming in and out of the office to talk to Sue. She has an uncanny ability to help people feel seen and heard. Now, we're very busy in our office, very busy, constantly balancing phone calls and emails and visits from faculty and staff and students, as well as creating me meeting schedules that can make you dizzy. The thing is, no one that comes in our office to talk to Sue would know that. She's

013always, always provides space for people, and she is truly the office mom. This is why she is so good at what she does. She needs to balance the role of supporting our students and families while maintaining relationships with the countless entities that we rely on to provide those supports. She knows everyone's names, their back, and what they last spoke about. She knows how to nurture relationships. And indeed, this skill helps her do her job. However, this is not the most important thing about Sue. You see, Sue is the first voice that many nervous parents encounter when they set out about trying to get their children the support that they need. Oftenimes these students are two or three years old and their parents are petrified. Then they meet Sue. Sue has a way of walking each

014family through the process in a way that they feel supported, seen, and heard. She makes them feel as though they have a person looking out for them as they navigate what is often a very scary process for their family. These are their children, and they're worried about them. Sue has a calm, nurturing way about her that eases their fear. She drops everything to meet a parent at the door at the high school to help them navigate cumbersome paperwork, gives them step-by-step assistance, and is the voice on the other end of the phone that helps them in times of need. She is truly an ambassador for the district as the first person that these families encounter when entering Icelip schools. Outside of her role in ISUB school district, Sue is the wife to Phil, mother to

015Danny, who's here with us tonight, mother-in-law to Jessica, and grandmother to Christian, Eddie, and Catala, who are all here tonight as well. Catala is also known as the princess. Sue is the true matriarch of the family, keeping everyone organized, driving them to events, and being a part of every milestone in their lives. She's immensely proud of the man that Dany has become. He's grown to be a strong advocate for his family, works at an important role within the state, but always has time to be there for his children. She adors her daughter-in-law Jessica, who couldn't be with us tonight, and is so thankful for the support that she gives to the family. But being grandma to those three children brings Sue so much pride and joy. We all love hearing about the daily updates and

016the group texts about what everyone is up to and all the kids are doing. And Sue beams with pride like she did when Christian was accepted into Shamanad High School. and again when he was recently accepted into every college of his choosing and got scholarships to each and every one of them. Christian will be off to Lu in the fall and Sue could not be prouder. She loves how Edward shares her sense of her deep sense of family and care for his loved ones. She even loves Catala's spitfire nature and perhaps see the spirit of independence that they both share. It's no secret that Sue's family has faced some difficult times recently centered around her husband's health. But Sue makes sure that she's there for each and every one of her kids and grandkids as

017much as she possibly can be. As she moves into retirement, I know that she is looking forward most to being there with her family without interruption. That's just who Sue is. A trip to Resorts World Casino may not be out of the question either. Sue is truly a caretaker for all. When she's not supporting her family, her co-workers, families, or students, she can be found devoting her time to her local church and community organizations. She's always there to organize a bingo night, raffles, fundraisers, or to read the gospel at church. Sue is always down to donate to a good cause, and they know how to find her in this building. Whenever there is a raffle to be won or a care package to be donated for, I'm always asking her what I owe that I

018need to pitch in for because I forgot. She's truly selfless, selfless and donates without ever asking for in return. I have to say it's been my privilege to work alongside a colleague like Sue. I'm a kinder person, more patient, a better listener, and a better father for your advice and your modeling. I'm truly going to miss working with you every day. From the morning chats to the guidance on what to wear to that meeting, you've been a true friend to me and I appreciate it more than you'll ever know. I wish you well on all that you do and hope that you time find time to pamper yourself the way that you do for so many others. Thank you, Sue. And now I'd like to call up Meg Stern and Keith Shidell. Good evening. Um,

019as as the principal of the middle school, um, and also, uh, we have our athletic director, um, Mrs. Spr up here as well uh to recognize a very special member of our staff. The just this afternoon uh Mr. Young, the assistant principal, Mr. Bodner, the dean and I were talking about uh the way that some educators make an impact through the lessons they teach um and others make an impact from the way that they make people feel. And I I'm so very lucky that during my time working with Mr. Coin, it became clear very quickly that he has done both. He is beloved by students and colleagues alike. He is someone who always greets others with a smile, is quick to offer a helping hand, even if we don't realize we need one, and consistently

020puts the needs of others before his own. The true measure of a career is the difference made in the lives of those around us. And Mr. Coin has been an very important part of the Iceland Middle School community for many years. His positive spirit, kindness, and dedication have left a lasting impression on countless students and staff members alike. It is my pleasure to introduce Mr. Shidell, one of our physical education teachers, who will now share a few thoughts as he recognizes an amazing lasting legacy left behind by Mr. Koi. Just to remind you, Meg's only worked for him for one year. >> Um, good evening everyone. Today we gathered to celebrate a remarkable educator, mentor, coach, and friend, James Peter Coin. This speech was very difficult to write because Jim usually edits all my speeches

021and letter of recommendations. Um, and I wasn't able to give it to him. It was very difficult. Uh many people spend their careers searching for their purpose. Jim found his early taking after his father, a sixth grade elementary teacher. He spent six years inspiring young minds and helping students grow both academically and personally. Then driven by a desire to reach even more children, he made the transition to physical education. It was a decision that allowed him to influence generations of students, teaching lessons that extended far beyond the classroom and the gymnasium. Throughout his career, he encouraged children to believe in themselves, work hard, be good teammates, and never give up. His impact cannot be measured not just in years of service, but in the countless lives he's touched along the way. I'm going to try

022not to break down trying um all right, I made it further in doc speech. Um, anyone who has worked with Jim knows he's incredibly smart, quick-witted, and always ready with a joke. He's had a special talent for keeping meetings and conversations on track. If someone started wandering off topic, you would likely hear his famous response, "Ribbit." It became his trademark. Part reminder, part joke, and always guaranteed to get a laugh. And speaking of his sense of humor, after leaving the classroom to become a physical education teacher, he never missed an opportunity to remind the sixth grade teachers of his legacy. He would jokingly tell them, "They're still using my dittos." Whether it was actually believed it or not, he said it often enough that we almost started to wonder if it was true. It was

023classic Jim. Confident, funny, and always keeping everyone smiling. And if you were one of his students, you probably remember another one of his classic lines. After a sixth grade teacher finished a novel with their class and seeing a few confused uh seeing a few confused faces, he would smile and say, "Who is your teacher?" Before anyone could answer, he'd add, "They don't understand the novel either. Let me explain it to you." It was pure Jim, part confidence, and part master teacher. The students laughed, but they also knew that they were about to get an explanation that would make everything click. Now, after working with Jim for over 30 years, share sharing countless cups of coffee together, you can imagine that I have quite a few stories. Some of them I can share, and some of

024them I probably can't, but every one of those stories speaks to the kind of person Jim is. loyal, funny, dedicated, and someone who always can make an ordinary day a little more enjoyable. While many people know Jim as a teacher and a coach, what truly sets him apart is his commitment to helping others. For many years, Jim has served on the board of directors for Camp NSAR. Every summer, he provides an unforettical an unforgettable experience for approximately a hundred children with special needs during a week-long camp at Shelter Island. It's not just Jim who gives this time. His family has been part of this effort as well. Helping to create memories and opportunities for children who deserve every chance to succeed and enjoy life. Jim has been dedicated to this mission for a very long

025time. And it says everything about the kind of man he is. Whether he was teaching in the classroom, coaching in the gym, or volunteering at camp, his heart has always been in the right place. He has spent his life making a difference for others, often without seeking recognition or praise. But beyond the humor is what truly defines him. his caring heart. He has always been a loving, compassionate person who generally cares about his students, colleagues, friends, and family. He has been someone people could count on for support, advice, encouragement, and friendship. Today, we'd also like to expend extend a special thank you to his family for being here to celebrate this important milestone. To Kelly, Ashley, Luke, thank you for sharing him with all of us throughout his career. Behind every great educator is a

026family that supports, encourages, and sacrifices along the way. We know how much you love and support have meant to him over the years, and we are grateful to have you here today as part of this celebration. I'm almost through. As Jim begins this well-earned retirement, we hope that he reflects on a tremendous difference he has made. His legacy will live throughout the students he inspired, the colleagues he's mentored, the campus whose lives he helped enrich, and the friendships he's built throughout the years. Few people leave behind a legacy as meaningful as Jim's. A legacy built on laughter, kindness, service, and an unwavering commitment to helping others. Thank you for your dedication, your wisdom, your sense of humor, and your kindness, and yes, for even all those rivets that kept us on track. Congratulations on an

027outstanding career. We wish you many more of happiness, good health, family time, new adventures, and the opportunity to enjoy everything you've worked so hard for. Please join me in w congratulating James Peter Coing on his retirement. Coach Patrick. >> Thank you. >> I'll be quick. >> I love that guy. This guy has had me fooled for 30 years. I've written everything he's ever spoken. He's pretty damn talented. Um I'm extremely touched. Uh I I'm blessed. I can't ask for a better job, a better career. The people that I work with, this has become my family in Icelip and obviously my beautiful family, Merrick. But um for once, I'm quiet. I I won't even give you a ribbit, but I want to thank all of you for coming and supporting us. Thank you to the channelers

028out there as well. I appreciate I appreciate all of you and thank you one of the great privileges of being a principal is getting the opportunity to see how educator ers leave their mark on a school community. Over the past year, I've had the chance to witness the impact firsthand through the joy and passion that Rick Miguel brings to music each and every day. Whether it was hearing the familiar sound of a guitar being strummed in the hallway or listening to his absolutely remarkable voice fill the room, it is clear that music was never just a subject that he taught. It is a gift that he shared with our entire community. His final concert was a perfect reflection of his career, engaging, inclusive, and filled with heart. As the audience rose to its feet in

029a well-deserved standing ovation, it was easy to see the number of lives that he touched. It is now my honor to introduce Mr. Michael Herzitz, director of fine performing arts, who will now speak on his behalf. Rick, you want to come up or you're good? Okay, you're good. All right. Good evening, everyone. Almost every single morning for the last four years, my routine starts the exact same way. I swipe into the middle school, greet the custodians, head down past the school store, and the very first classroom I pass is Rick Miguel's. And every morning I find myself slowing down. Sometimes I'll sneak a glance through the window or just stand outside the door for a minute to listen to whatever magic is happening inside his chorus classroom. If I'm out and about during the hall

030duty, Rick is right out there in the four corners with his guitar, practicing new chords, lightly playing songs for the passer by every day. You'll hear him singing or playing the piano or strumming the guitar as a reminder of the sheer scope of what he does in the classroom. I did a little napkin math earlier today. Rick's been teaching at Icelip Middle School since 1999. Because he teaches general music, it means every single seventh and eighth grader passes through his classroom during the year, multiple times if they're in course. If we estimate an average class size since he started, he's personally taught more than 6,000 kids in his time at ISIL. I think it's probably a lot more. It's a lot of names, Rick. Think about that number. That's a third of the population of

031the Hamlet right here. In fact, his legacy is so deep now that some of the kids sitting in the room today are the children of the kids who sat in the room back in 1999. They show up to the concert to see their own kids on the risers in the same place that they sang. If you want to know what community impact looks like, it looks a lot like Rick. The defining characteristic of Rick is his life of service. Long before he ever stepped into an ISIL classroom, he served our country as a Navy veteran. And when he isn't here filling our hallways with music, he is serving in the Bayport community as a volunteer firefighter. Now, I've never served in the military or as a first responder. All I can relate to is being

032in the middle school with kids all day. And Rick has dedicated his entire life to showing up for other people. We see this dedication in November, hearing Rick's voice ring out over the loudspeakers each year to sing the national anthem in commemoration of Veterans Day. In that moment, his two worlds blend perfectly. If you've never heard Rick sing, he's got this big, beautiful, soulful bass baritone voice. And when he sings that anthem, he is a veteran sharing his pride, his voice, and the importance of history with the next generation. To me, music is a lot like your DNA. Your choices can really define you as a person. I've been looking back at Rick's concert programs lately, and you get a perfect snapshot of who he is as an educator. He's got classic coral beauty like

033now is the month of May and bridge over troubled water. Then he goes right into car Katy Perry or Christina Perry. to Perry's. He has taken our students from the streets of Paris with Castle on the Cloud to the Pride Lands with a Circle of Life and into the holiday spirit with Slayigh Ride and Hot Chocolate. We've got traditional Zambian music, Israeli folk songs, and sea shanties. Rick has given his students an entire world of music. But if you ask his students or his colleagues what his greatest quality is, they will tell you about his kindness. Rick is a gentle man who wears his heart on his sleeve. He is a deeply emotional man who cares so intensely that he takes things to heart all the time. But that sensitivity is exactly what makes him

034an incredible educator. In a world that can sometimes feel fast and indifferent, Rick has a huge heart that truly deeply wants to help others. He feels every triumph of his students and he carries their challenges with him. That genuine raw empathy is why thousands of kids have found their home in the music department. As dedicated as he is to his career and his community, we know where his big heart truly belongs with his three children who he loves fiercely and always speaks of with immense pride. Now Rick, we know you're not just going to sit around in your retirement, but you will a little bit. Stow is going to be seeing a lot more of you. I know you're going to want to finally get to explore music making on your own terms. Middle school

035music is certainly its own kind of black diamond. On a personal note, there is something incredibly special about where our paths cross. Rick was finishing his music education degree at Crane School of Music where my wife was just beginning hers. Rick's final four years at ISIL have coincided exactly with my first four years as a director of fine arts. Although saying that out loud sounds a little ominous. So, I apologize. Stepping into a new leadership role can be daunting, but having a pillar of the department like Rick has been an absolute privilege. Rick has seen it all. He's worked with probably 10 different fine arts directors in his time. And because of that, whenever I need a perspective, I always look to Rick for the long view. He is the guy who will candidly tell

036me what has worked, what is genuinely worth revisiting, and what is a complete dead end. He's usually the first person I look at in our department meetings to gauge his reaction. And it's usually one of two things. The arms folded, thoughtful look and nod that can kind of Okay. Or my favorite, the claps of hands and starts to crack up. When that happens, I know I'm about to hear an interesting story. However, I think Rick's favorite moment and one of my favorite memories was when we brought the seventh and eighth graders to Urban Air this year. And Rick says, "YOLO harnesses up and goes on the zipline." And I am not kidding when the entire place stopped to watch Rick soar over their heads to the entire place cheering. I was just going to show

037that video, drop the mic, and walk away. Thank you, Rick, for helping me navigate my years in Icelip, for those impromptu staircase concerts with the chorus, for trying my new ideas and looking to improve all the way to the end. You have left a mark on thousands of lives, and that huge voice will echo in these halls for decades to come. Rick, thank you for your service to this nation, our community, and our schools. When Dr. Martin retired, you wrote the words fair winds and following seas on your dry erase board. So for you, Rick, I wish for your skies to always be blue and your trails always be fresh powder. Congratulations. There you go. And now it is my pleasure to introduce Andrew Shimika. Great. I get to follow that. All right. Good evening

038everyone. Tonight I'm going to be speaking about two individuals who have done a great deal for the Starting over tonight, I'm going to be speaking about two individuals who have done a great deal for this district over their years of service. Firstly, Kevin Yanosanis, evening custodian at Com Road Elementary, who was hired on January 12th, 1981 and has been a reliable member of the facilities department for over 45 years. A little fun fact, Kevin, the Berlin Wall fell almost nine years after you started working here. the changes you must have has seen in this place over those years going from overhead projectors and electric typewriters to touchscreen view sonic boards in every classroom. Mr. Yanosanis is leaving us at the as the most senior member of the facilities department. Your retirement on June 30th will

039mark the end of an error. Uh second fun fact he actually just shared with me tonight. The most senior employee in the district was actually Kevin's math teacher when he attended here for at Icelip High School. While many people may see a custodian's work as simply cleaning and maintaining a building, those of us who have had the privilege of working with Kevin know that the job is so much more than that. For more than 45 years, Kevin has been a steady presence who helped keep Crest safe and clean for everyone who walked through those doors. Long after most of us left for the day, Kevin was here making sure everything was in order. Whether it was cleaning the rooms on the second floor at Comarmac, setting up for a PTA event, or manning a snow

040shovel in winter, Kevin approached every task with dedication, pride, and professionalism. And the first time I met Kevin was during my first week here. We had a radiator fail in a classroom bathroom at Comarmac, and water was pouring out faster than you could manage it. Uh, this was an all hands-on deck situation to contain the water to minimize damage to the classroom. During the situation, I didn't have to give directions to Mr. Anisanis. He just knew what needed to be done and supported the effort. And together with the rest of the evening crew, we ensured the students could learn in that room the very next morning. However, I must admit, what stood out most for me beyond the work that was done was Mr. Yanis' art. Kevin treated his time sheets like blank canvases. Every

041two weeks, I would look forward to reviewing payroll just to see what Mr. Yanosana drew. The themes were often related to the holidays of the seasons, but they were always entertaining. Pots of gold and leprechauns for St. Patrick's Day, Dracula, Frankenstein's monster for Halloween, and so on. And since the time cards were arranged in alphabetical order, Mr. Yanosanis' art was my reward for working my way to the bottom of the stack of papers. Kevin, your hard work often happened behind the scenes, but its impact was always visible. You helped create an environment where others could succeed, learn, work, and grow. For that, we are deeply grateful. As you begin this next chapter, we hope your days are filled with relaxation, hobbies, and all the things that you've had less time for while dedicating so much

042of yourself to Icelib. Now, on behalf of everyone here, thank you for your years of service. your unwavering commitment and the positive difference you've made in our students lives. Congratulations on your retirement, Kevin. You've certainly earned it and you will be greatly missed. Please join me in wishing Kevin a happy and fulfilling retirement. All right. I'm honored to speak on behalf of another member of the facilities team, one whose hard work has helped shape the appearance, safety, and beauty of our grounds for many years, our dedicated grounds foreman, Mitchell Miga, who retired on May 22nd. While hired in 1991, Mitch was elevated to the supervisory role in 2008. Many people don't realize the effort, planning, and leadership required to manage the grounds of a school district. But I can assure you that is a non-stop

043role that has varying responsibilities year round. Now, those of us who have worked with Mitch, I know these grounds did not maintain themselves. They reflected Mitch's commitment, his expertise, his pride, and a job well done. Over his 35 years at Icelip, Mitchell has worked through every season and every challenge. Whether facing summer heat, winter storms, heavy rains, or unexpected emergencies, Mitch was always ready to do what needed to be done. His dedication ensured that our grounds remained safe, welcoming, and beautiful for everyone who visited, worked, and learned here. As grounds foreman, Mitch did much more than oversee cutting grass and weed whacking. He was a leader, a mentor, and a problem solver. He guided his team with professionalism, set high standards, and earned the respect of colleagues throughout the organization through his work ethic and

044dedication. His knowledge, history, and experience became resources for many of us to rely on. But beyond the work itself, what I'll remember most are his stories. Now, Mitch loved to tell stories about this place in the '90s. the characters he worked with, the jokes they had with each other, the broken down equipment that made it impossible to get the job done, and which pieces of equipment may have accidentally been driven into Ora Lake. Now, Mitch was always willing to lend a hand, share advice, and support others. Relationships he built over the years are a testament to the respect and admiration he has earned. Now, another thing I'm going to miss dearly about Mitchell is his calmness and positivity that he brought to every situation. The man seems impervious to stress. Prior to joining the school

045district, Mitch was an independent shellfish harvester. He would spend hours on the bay in every temperature and every type of weather you could imagine, raking clams to provide for his family. Now, being a grounds foreman was a cakewalk compared to his previous career. Now, whether it was plowing all night through a 30-in blizzard or facing a monsoon and a 12-in puddle preventing cars from leaving the middle school parking lot, no matter what, Mitch was unfazed. They just got the job done. Now, the impact of a ground supervisor is often measured not only by what is maintained by what by what is created. Also, a sense of pride, a welcoming environment, and a lasting legacy. Thanks to Mitch's leadership, our grounds have been more than just outdoor spaces. They've been places where people gather, learn, work,

046play, and create memories. Now, Mitch, on behalf of everyone here, thank you for your years of service, your leadership, and your unwavering commitment to this district. Thank you for your reliability, the countless early mornings, long days, and behind the-scenes efforts that often went unnoticed, but were always appreciated. As you begin this next chapter, we wish you good health, happiness, and all the opportunities that retirement brings. May your days be filled with family, friends, and relaxation. Leave you leave behind a legacy of hard work and dedication that will not be forgotten. And please join me in congratulating Mitchell on a distinguished career and wishing him a long, healthy, and rewarding retirement. So, there are some retirees that were unable to come tonight, but they certainly have earned our gratitude. So, if you can please join me

047in congratulating a few that couldn't be here. Brian Burke from district security. Michelle Finley, district office application specialist. Evelyn Murphy, food service worker, Icelip High School. Deborah Ellensson, food service worker, Comarmac Road Elementary School. Elaine Schmidt, teaching assistant, Icelip High School, and John Forester, head custodian, Icelip Middle School. If our retirees could just stand up one more time. Yeah. You know, the measure of a career, the measure of a career is not simply the years worked, but the lives touched along the way. Thank you to our retirees for making a difference in the lives of countless students and colleagues. Congratulations on your retirement, and may your best days still be ahead of you. Congratulations. Uh on behalf on behalf of the board of education, I'd like to say thank you to our retirees for decades

048of exemplary, dedicated, caring, outstanding service. Uh the district would not be what it is without people like all of you. So again, thank you and congratulations. I would like the retirees to come down for a group photo, please. And Mr. Denine, with your permission, we'll take a break for that photo. Allow whoever would like to uh go home and then we'll resume with Miss Brower's presentation. Five minute break. Okay. Thank you. If our retirees would come down and again, congratulations. board of ed meeting. Thank you. Want this to fall on me again. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Dean. Good evening and thank you for being here. Welcome to tonight's public hearing on the revised budget proposal. On May 19th, the community spoke and our initial budget proposal was not approved. Your message was heard and on

049May 29th, we gathered together to listen to feedback, re-examine our priorities, and make difficult but necessary adjustments required to find a path forward. Recommendations were presented to the board of education in a public work session. The board deliberated and adopted a revised budget with a new tax levy that will be presented to the community on June 16th for a revote. The adopted budget of 105,536,8 represents a 3.02% 02% increase over the pre over the current year and includes a tax levy of $69,819,657 which is a 1.82% increase over the current year tax levy and is tax compliant. So what does this all mean? Our budget maintains all aspects of our core programs for our students as well as our many extracurricular athletic, our extra supports and offers some new and exciting programs as well. Using

050our current tax rate, the estimated increase for a resident with a home with an estimated market value of 600,000 is approximately $168 or approximately $14 per month. You may recall on May 29th, decisions were made to keep core programs, supports, and the students experience intact. While everything we provide is important, reductions were made in areas that will have the least impact on students. They include the following. our summer reductions in our summer regions review, our summer curriculum writing, some programs that we utilize, I Ready, Kid Yo-Yo, our field trips, athletics, including our athletic transportation, and some of our clubs through low enrollment. Our large instrument purchases will be offset for a year and the removal of the transfer to capital for our um reconstruction of our greenhouse. Additional reductions were realized in our staffing and

051our um personnel through attrition excess and elimination. At our May 29th meeting, there was an additional clerical through attrition and custodial member through attrition as well as the elimination of two LPNs from the budget. That's an eliminate um that is a total of 17 positions. With the revised budget, we have worked to protect the integrity of all of our programs while respecting the financial concerns of our taxpayers. The proposed budget is reflected here. It's broken down to categories. Our general support, instruction, transportation, benefits, our debt service, our inner fund transfers for the total budget proposal. Just some of the things that you would see in our general support are our board of education and district clerk expenses, central administration, the business office, human resources and personnel, legal services, our public information services, operation of our

052plant and maintenance of our plant, security and systems. our central printing and mailing, our central data processing, our insurance, including our property casualty liability, um cyber school board liability, and the Boseies administrative services. In our instruction, it's teaching across all grades, teaching assistants, teachers, teacher aids, monitors, our special education, related service providers, including speech, OT, and PT, counseling, our library, media center staff, and resources, our curriculum development and instructional leadership. um all of our gifted and talented um English as a new language. We have career and technical education, health and psychological and social worker services, after school, our co-curricular programs and instruction, our athletics, computer aided instruction, our Boseies service, instructional services, homebound instruction, evaluation, testing, and all supplies. When you look at it, you'll see that these all add up to our new budget

053of 105,536,18, which is approximately a 3.02% increase over our current year budget. Our estimated revenues, you'll notice here with our largest being our tax levy and the new tax levy that will be proposed to the community is 69,819,657. Our state aid has been updated to reflect our new um allotment. our local revenues, which includes our pilots, it includes tuition from other districts, uh reimbursements for prior year expenditures, um all different uh other things that come in including uh scrap, there's investments, there's interest. Um those are all included in these in these here. the use of our reserve as well as our fund balance. You'll see we're looking to use our um ERS reserve, our TRS reserve, workers compensation, and our appropriated fund balance for a total revenue of 105,536,18. So when you put them side

054by side, you'll see our estimated revenues equal our proposed expenditures. Um, okay. The revised budget reflects the feedback we received and targets reductions while preserving our core programming. However, it's important to understand what is at stake. Should the budget not pass on June 16th, the board of education must adopt a contingency budget by July 1st. The contingency budget would be 104,289,667 and it would require an additional $1.2 million worth of reductions. contingent budget um requires additional reduction in our program and personnel. By law, the contingency budget reflects a 0% increase to the tax levy, keeping the tax levy for the 2627 school year. All of our non-contingent expenses are required to be removed from the budget. That includes most equipment purchases, certain student supplies, salary increases for employees not aligned with a collective bargaining unit.

055Our ordinary um contingent expenses may also have to be reduced. Those are necessary um expenses required to provide minimum services legally to operate and maintain the school buildings and the educational programs to preserve the property of the district and to ensure the health and safety of all our students and staff. Examples are not limited to inter uh scholastic athletics and extracurricular activities with the 1.82% tax levy based on a home with an estimated market value of $600,000. Using our current tax rates, our taxpayers could estimate approximately $168 increase or approximately $14 a month. Thank you very much for your time and your commitment to the district and your engagement for being part of this process. The budget revote will be held on June 16th in the Icelip High School from 6:00 a.m. to 900 p.m.

056>> Thank you. >> Yes, Mr. Denine. I have I have a question here that if it's okay, I'd like to answer. Um I have a question from Kate Tedri. Um the question is to please explain the basis for the increase in the employee benefits in the budget. Um so our employee benefits within the budget encompass a lot. Um they encompass our retirement um contributions that the district must um contribute to the uh employee retirement system as well as the teachers retirement system. It includes um health insurance and dental insurance for our employees, life insurance, unemployment insurance, workers compensation, and other contractual benefits. um in the neighborhood of a TSA uh payments for some of our employees, there's terminal payouts where we um are required by uh bargaining agreements for compensated app absences. Um all of

057these have been more closely aligned with the expected expenditures for the upcoming school year. So, um, that would be the answer to that question. I don't know if there's any other questions. >> Why is it >> um because they're more closely aligned what will be spent in the upcoming school year. >> Well, they all add up. They're not. It's across the board. Like I said, there is our health insurance. We um we estimate for six months out of the year. We don't get those new rates until December. So, we need to be prepared for whatever increase uh is coming. So, we estimate moderately. Um but in addition to that, we have other um budgetary allocations for this year that needed to be closer to the expenditures that we anticipate. >> Sure. >> Sorry. Thank you.

058I'll just add one piece for you. Um the health insurance premiums increased by $1.2 million. So that's a big chunk of the of >> Yeah, that's a big chunk of the 2 million. And when Mrs. Brower mentions um teachers retirement system and employee retirement system. Um many times in the general public people don't realize this but the employer in this case the school district has to pay a certain percentage of every employees salary to the New York State teachers retirement system. It's roughly 9%. That number varies. It goes up, it goes down. It's inversely related to the stock market. So every year or two there's an adjustment one way or the other. So, if a teacher is earning a $100,000 salary, we have to pay $9,000 to the retirement system for that teacher. And um

059for this coming budget, those costs paying to the retirement system for teachers and for clerical, for administrators, and for um custodial and other civil service uh positions. the amount we have to pay is increasing by uh 538,000 or a little over half a million if I remember correctly. So that's about 1.7 million of that of that increase. >> Oh great yeah great question. So the right so the the contractual obligations in terms of um our employees have the New York State health insurance plan. So, we didn't change plans. Um, we didn't add any benefits. We didn't reduce co-pays or things like that. Um, contractually that what's in the contract is the same. Um, it's just that the cost for those things are increasing. Oh, I hope that helps because these are these are um you

060know, so for example, if a if a um I just use a $100,000 as an example because for me the math is easy. It's an even number, right? Um if if um everybody's do a 2% raise, that 100,000 becomes 102,000 and we still pay the 9%. So instead of paying 9% on 100,000, we're paying 9% on 102,000. And if you take that 2% increase in salary and multiply it over 300 uh teachers, for example, or uh 70 people in the in the um or or 40 something in say buildings and grounds and 70 people in clerical, you could see why those um retirement system expenses would increase. >> Thank you for that question. Okay. >> Yeah. Okay. Well, I I really appreciate that point. So, let me elaborate a little bit more if I may.

061Um, our salary increases are salary across the whole district, every employee is a total of a $1.1 million increase roughly, right? So, um, thanks to our employees and and really great collaboration at the negotiating table, that 1.1 million represents the lowest increase in salaries we've had in say the last four years because the last two years it was 1.8 if I remember correctly and a year before that it might have been 1.6 or something like that. Those numbers are in a previous presentation so don't quote me on those examples. But my point is that while salaries are going up for next year, they went up at a lower rate uh comparative to past years, right? And those obligations are contractual. So as a district, we don't have the the ability legally to say to the

062teachers or any employee, listen, your contract says you do a 2% raise. We don't really care what the contract says. We're going to cut that raise in half. We have to go to the group and negotiate those things, right? So we're obligated to make those uh salary payments. we explain the incre in increases in um some other benefits, things like that. I appreciate that question. Thank you. >> Okay. Um I may there's one more question that was that was um emailed to us if I can read that. Um this comes from uh Miss Winter. Personnel reductions in the revised budget are focused on nursing, clerical, and custodial staff. what analysis was uh conducted regarding potential reductions to administrative staffing uh and district level overhead and why were those options not included in the proposal? You

063know, we never want to be in a position to have to reduce any supports or services for students. So, we start we start there if when we're forced to make reductions, what will have the least uh and smallest impact on students experience and student supports. So, that's number one. Number two is we consider what positions do do we believe based on our knowledge of the district and based on our experience in the field are necessary to keep the district running at a really high level, keep us on the current path of improvement that we're on. So you make decisions on that. And then um regarding this particular question and the clerical position and the custodial position, we made those recommendations because we we were um given some information that led us to believe there would

064be retirements. And so we felt we could make those reductions through attrition, not replace them. And then uh in those two examples, it wouldn't it wouldn't cause anybody to lose uh their income or lose a job. Um and then unfortunately regarding the LPN positions, those are two positions that were eliminated. That was not uh the result of attrition. But again, after all the other considerations, thinking about uh Mrs. Brower showed a list. I think it was 17 people. Reductions had already been made through attrition and and uh um uh enrollment decreases and so on. Um you know, we just made that recommendation because we believed that we we have an RN in every building. We were still maintaining an LPN that could help with some coverage. It wasn't a pleasant decision. Uh hope you believe

065me when I tell you that. But um those are some of the factors that went into those decisions. Okay, that was question was emailed. >> Okay, thank you. regarding the budget. Oh, just uh one one announcement we're required to make regarding the district-wide school safety plan. The district-wide school safety team has completed a draft of the district-wide school safety plan for the 2026 2027 school year. This year's plan includes information on emergency remote instruction to ensure continuity for students in the event of an emergency school closure. Per New York state law, a 30-day public review and comment period will begin tomorrow, Wednesday, June 10th. Anyone interested may find um may find a copy linked under latest news from parent square section of the district website or may contact my office to request a time to

066review uh to review the safety plan. All comments on the plan should be forwarded to district clerkislipufsd.org by Monday, July 13, 2026. Following the closing of the public comment period, a public hearing on the plan will be held prior to the July 21st, 2026 board of education meeting. Please note, in order to best protect the health and safety of our students and staff, this plan by design does not go into deep specific detail. Each building does develop building specific plans that go to much greater depth, but these are confidential in nature. Thank you, Mr. D. Okay, that uh concludes our uh pride and presentations. We're now going to move on to our agenda items. Uh are any questions from the board? Any of the items we'll be voting on this evening? Any questions from the

067public or any of the items we'll be voting on this evening? Okay. Um, with that, uh, I'd like to get a motion for consent on items 5A through 5V. Can I get a motion? >> So, >> that was Mr. Buler. In a second was Mr. Leo. All those in favor? I opposed abstained. And they will carry. Before we move on to the other one that was not that's separate from consent. Item five I was the acceptance of the um student body vote for the exeicio student member. Um probably I guess it was about a month ago the board um interviewed four 11th graders that were interested in being the exeicio student member. uh we had the difficult decision of narrowing that four down to two students and uh those two students were then forwarded to

068the um for a class vote and we're going to recognize this person at our next board meeting but Daniela Capalango was selected as the exeicio student board member and Michael Hehern will be the uh alternate in the event that um Daniela cannot um you know fulfill the position. So, congratulations to Daniela. WE'LL UM and we'll recognize her at our um June uh 23rd uh board meeting. Okay. The next item that we need to vote on is item 5X, which is the approval of the personnel schedules. Can I get a motion? >> And that was Mr. Clarine. Can I get a second? And that's Miss Prey. All those in favor? I >> I >> opposed abstained. >> And that will carry as well. Again, we'll recognize um in the um the personnel schedule there was a

069lot of uh tenure recognitions and congratulations to our uh teachers that did receive tenure and Dr. Harold will recognize them like this. >> Uh yeah, we typically celebrate that achievement in the fall. >> In the fall, right? >> Yeah. Um, may I uh we do have uh four administrators here that I think are on that agenda tonight. So, if uh I could just say congratulations to Miss James and Mr. Herskowitz and uh Dr. Gonzalez and Mr. Rudo, they are among the bigger list of people that you voted on this evening. Great. >> Uh Dr. Getto as well and Dr. Getto, >> congratulations again. >> Okay. Um, that concludes our agenda items. We're going to move on to our public questions. And I do have a few public comment cards here. And the first one is

070Courtney Skarola. quite so I have a few questions regarding the UPK program and specifically the schools that submitted proposals to operate the district's UPK program. So while I understand and appreciate the importance of a competitive bidding process, I believe it's also important to recognize the exceptional work that Southshore Children's Center has done over the past few years. Their program has consistently demonstrated a high level of organization, excellent communication with families, and a team of dedicated teachers who genuinely care about the children and have built strong, trusting relationships with parents. In addition, they have developed a curriculum that provides engaging and enjoyable learning experiences while effectively preparing students for a successful transition into kindergarten. Based on the original version of the board documents, it appears that the district intends to award this year's UPK program to

071the nursery school. As a parent and community member, I believe transparency is important in maintaining public trust and confidence in decisions that directly impact our children's education. Giving this proposed change, I would like to respectfully ask whether any members of the district administration or board of education have any personal, professional, or business affiliations or relationships with the nursery school that may have influenced or could be perceived as influencing the selection process. >> Um, I I could speak for the board if you'd like. I could certainly speak for myself. The answer is no. Uh there's there's nobody that has uh uh any relationship that influenced um any decision. Um I can tell you that you referenced the original agenda, but it's not on the agenda this evening because uh a final decision has not been made.

072Um I would like to reference one thing that I think may be helpful. There was a social media post Friday evening uh circulated with some erroneous information. We put information out to correct that um uh that information. But what I can add to that is um we have a board member who who is the uh founder of Little Angel Center provides similar services. I think it's important for everybody to understand that um um in in that in that capacity um Miss Regaki had a relationship with the Southshore uh with Southshore and that relationship was that at the same time they were co-enants in a building and uh while Little Angels and Southshore were renting space in the same building in East Icelip, Little Angels contracted with Southshore, meaning that uh Southshore um Little Angel's paid

073Southshore to service some of Little Angel's clients. And um regarding the nursery school, um by coincidence, uh Little Angels and the nursery school have had a short period of time where they've over overlapped as tenants uh in the same building and they had a similar relationship where Little Angels paid the nursery school for to provide services to some of Little Angel's clients. So, uh, there's no relation. There's nobody that has an ownership stake, whether it's a administrator or a board member. There's no administrator or board member that had undue influence on a process. And um, any relationship that Little Angels had with either of those two entities has been identical, >> right? I just find it, you know, kind of a conflict of interest being that on numerous social media posts it was described as

074being a partnership with the nursery school. I I'm sorry. Who who des who described >> you know what Dr. I'm more than happy to answer this these questions because I have nothing to hide. So ask I'm sorry. Go ahead. >> So I'm just I'm just looking to see a clarification of what the relationship is because on many public social media posts which have since been deleted since Friday when I was able to see them and save them. Um it was stated that there's a partnership and a collaboration partnership which I feel is somewhat of a conflict of interest being that you are one of the deciding factors in the selection process. >> I a I agree with you I that it would uh appear that there's some kind of conflict of interest but I'm happy

075to share what the relationship is. >> Sure. >> The relationship with um the nursery school is actually identical to the relationship that I had with Southshore when they were issued their contract with Icelip. So what I do is I do integrated co-eing classrooms and the um I pay I used to pay Southshore and now I'm it's also going to be in the past because my contract ends with them also uh this summer um with the nursery school. The relationship is identical. So I never received money from either one of those entities. I actually paid them to house my children. Um, and the relationship, like I said, is was literally identical when Southro got their contract for initially. >> Okay. Just wanted to >> No, I'm happy to answer any questions. Do you have anything else?

076>> No, that's that's okay. Thank you. >> You're welcome. >> Okay. Thank you. Uh, next is um Mary Polos. I said that correctly. If I didn't, my apologies. >> Yeah. Good evening. Um, my name is Mary Pelagos and I'm a parent in the district. I'm here tonight to share about our experience with the Southshore Children's Learning Center. As I've been hearing rumors that this program will be replaced with a different program for the UPK UPK held in the ISIP school district, um I am a little bit disappointed just because a lot of the information that I have been hearing um seems to be just by word of mouth um throughout town and I'm just looking for some clarity on the decision-m process which will directly affect my son who is scheduled to enter UPK this

077September. Um, you know, I agree with what Courtney was saying in terms of my experience with the Touchure Children's Learning Center. Um, I have seen such wonderful things happen with my daughter's growth, um, both socially, emotionally, and academically. Um, as she is just about to finish the UPK program. Um, but I guess what I'm just looking for is um, now I understand that a decision has not been made, which is not something that I fully understood before coming here tonight, but I was just, um, I guess trying to just figure out like when the decision is made, how will this be addressed with parents? How is the board of education going to be providing full transparency to parents? I think that families deserve clear communication. Um, understanding the reasons for the change, understanding what the

078selection process looked like, um, the qualifications of the new program that will be used, um, how and how the district will ensure that the quality of education, safety, and support um, currently being provided to our students and our children will be maintained or hopefully improved. Um, like I said, I had such a wonderful experience. This is just my experiences with my first child this year in the UPK program. I've seen such great rigor in the UPK program. I've seen, um, supportiveness from the teachers and I'm just looking for the same for my son who will be entering in September. So, um, the families have entrusted the Southshore Children's Learning Center with the care and education of their children for many years, and I just think as parents and taxpayers, we just deserve a little bit

079more transparency. And when that decision is finally made, hop hoping for some open communication. um and just to have confidence that the decisions are in the best interest of the children and not what's best financially for the school district. Um, so how is the school district um or the board of ed planning on informing the parents of this decision and of all of these qualifications that um this new pro program has that will hopefully surpass what's being offered right now through Southshore Children's Learning Center. >> Thank you for your >> You want to touch on those? >> Yeah, thank you for your questions. Um, so I mean for starters, we agree that Southshore has done an excellent job and we've communicated that to Southshore several times through this RFP process. So an RFP is a

080request for proposals. So um the New York State uh changed the size of the grants. um UPK providers uh indicated that uh their fees would be going up as a result of an increase in the grant and we thought it was in the best interest of the district to put out a request for these proposals. We received responses from three vendors. Um so um the the the request for proposal known as an RFP was written by the district in consultation with our attorneys. It contains a lot of parameters. you know, how many students do we have? What kind of curriculum, what kind of services, what kind of um presence are we expecting uh in regarding um administrators, you know, or supervisors from the vendor? Um what are the class sizes? There's probably a bigger list

081that Dr. G might be able to add to, but in general, uh that's it. When when we received um the responses, we phoned each provider. um one one was basically eliminated fairly quickly and then we had multiple phone calls um in-person meetings with the other two vendors, Southshore and the nursery school. Um as far as Southshore is concerned, a site visit wasn't necessary because we've seen them in action and we do see them in action on a regular basis. Um Dr. Giaetto and uh Miss Glazer, our principal at Wing, did a site visit to um the nursery school. Uh we also um did uh reference checks. Um so um and we and some of our parameters changed. Um I know there's a question here. Um may I have that question just for because it might

082help if I interject this if give me a moment. Um if Southshore UPK is no longer at uh no longer a thing, where is the other half of students being uh where are the other half of students being placed? Uh or or will the children be cut? So, no, nobody will be um nobody will be cut from uh UPK. We have 135 spaces. Um uh whether it's Southshore or a new provider for the fall, we we're expecting all sections to be in wing. Uh even if Southshore remains um so so that's that's an aspect that that um made made the um the decision change because when the RFP went out, that wasn't necessarily the plan. Then um in executive session while discussing the the request for the proposal and and possibly entering into a contract,

083it was determined, hey, we think it's um in the best interest of all our students to be at Wing because the original um RFP uh we thought that um five sections roughly would be at Wing and we thought possibly two would be at Sherwood. Um but it you know after discussions they're all going to be at wing. So that that changed the process. It changed the discussion. It forced us to go back to each of the two providers and say hey there's a change. That change on our end is is going to make class sizes for the UPA UPK go above 18. When they go above eight uh above 18 that requires another adult uh in the form of an aid to be in the classroom. that changes um the calculations for each provider. So,

084we had to go back and have conversations with each provider. Um and so the process has been very even-handed. It's been it's been very thorough. And um to your last question about when will how will we notify the community. Um we anticipate that a decision will be made for the June 23rd board meeting and um anybody can be here to hear that and then certainly there'd be written communication with the families. As far as your question about the quality and the safety and so on, th those expectations on our part wouldn't be decreased. >> Um we would still have um our administrators in the building. We would expect if it's a different provider for them to have the same levels of supervision. >> Um >> and and um you know, we're we're not here to

085make things um uh less effective for students or or um not as good. Um we want to provide the best service that we can. Um and uh the reason the reason uh quite uh you know we make decisions based on what we believe always are in the best interest of our students, right? >> Um um when the state increased the size of the grant, UPK providers said, "Hey, we're going to need all the money." >> And and we said, "Wait a second." Because we were charging no rent because the grant money was so small. Um but now the grant money is larger. We we can't uh like offer the space and maintain everything. And so that's was that was kind of one of the factors behind the RFP. And then we have given each provider

086equal and ample opportunity to dialogue back and forth with us so that we can we can get to a point where uh we have a decision that we think is really really a good one. >> Okay. Thank you. >> You're welcome. >> Thank you. >> Yeah. I share one thing. Sorry. I want you to know that you can stay if you want. I want you to know that I'm a Southshore mom, too. My both of my children spent three amazing years there as two-year-olds, three-year-olds, and then four-year-olds. >> So, I know the quality of education that they provide, and I know that the curriculum is wonderful, and I know that the teachers there are fantastic. So, please know that I have no >> I have no ill willow against either one of the providers that

087are that are being looked at. I just kind of wanted to say that. >> Okay. Thank you. Yeah, I'm in a I'm a a similar boat. I mean, my two kids are have only known Southshore. So, um you know, obviously I appreciate everybody of course like keeping the best interests of of the kids because it has been such a wonderful experience so far in this school district and I was so excited for my son to enter into UPK and then just hearing that obviously kind of shook me up a little bit. But um you know I I appreciate everybody like being diligent and and really like making a good decision on what's best for the kids and um I'm eager to see um how it happens. So thank you. >> Great. Thank you. >> Thank

088you for your questions. >> And then uh >> Cara, I think we answered your >> you did. Okay. Great. Thank you. And thank you for picking up on that and um Megan Zarky. Sorry, jingling. Um, good evening. Um, I I know I had to bounce very quickly as I was asking some follow-ups about the changes in the mathematics and reading and writing curricula um to the elementary level. So, um, finally thought of a couple of followups. Um I know it was mentioned that um in light of um some of the budgeting things that our district is facing um the change to envision instead of paying one lump sum to um the provider of that curriculum we're going to be making payment we're on a payment plan for that. Um how long is that payment plan

089again? I feel like it was mentioned but I don't remember. like like is um how many years, how many months? >> Sure. It's uh five years worth uh done and paid within three years. >> Okay. um what happens um because again as I had mentioned at um the May 29th meeting that um we've seen multiple changes to the math curriculum in particular over the past five six years in this district at the elementary level almost on like two two and a half year increments. What happens if in two years from now we decide to part ways with Envision? Um, are we still on the hook for paying the remainder of that balance? >> So, yes, we have a 5-year contract with them. Um, it's paid over three years. Um, we I I just want to

090make it clear, we've only changed from go math five to six years ago. Um, and there there was one change. There was a K1 that moved towards Envision Math while two through five moved to Ready Math. Um and with the end of the contract of one and moving into another. Um and from the feedback we received and the piloting that we did this year. Um I as I said last meeting overwhelmingly where teachers talked about the uh uh conceptual understanding of kids uh the practice and the opportunities for mastery the differentiation and the scaffolding and the resources the materials that were there and the teacher usability um with the program uh of Envision and the the differences they see and the strengths they see within Envision. Uh and and that really lies in the reason

091why we are looking to shift from our ready math program where we felt like kids weren't reaching mastery. Kids didn't have time to practice some of the skills that we wanted to do within within our classrooms. Um and um I I I will tell you I did not find I've been asking uh since uh we we've talked and even at our last meeting and I've been u talking with our coaches as well as our teachers. um they're very excited about this new shift for our kids and we feel like it's going to be a better uh approach uh for all of our students uh throughout the school district. When I say differentiation, one of the one of the other big things within there are the enrichment pieces and the and the challenging of our students

092and something that we want to look towards moving forward and to make sure that we are differentiating not only for the kids who are struggling in math but those who are excelling as well. Um, are there currently any curricula K through 12 that we have discontinued using as a district that we're still paying for on a similar payment plan? >> Not that I can think of at this time. No. >> Um, I just want to ask Dr. G kind of to clarify something. If if um they didn't allow us to pay it, we would have to pay it in the beginning, right? >> Yes. So, the the three-year payment plan was to help us. You know, when you deal with these companies, most often you have to pay upfront. >> Yes. >> Okay. >> Um

093and just one other thing, which is a part of the FOYA request, which um I know I'm supposed to receive a response by Friday as per the letter I received from our district clerk. Um so, I know they were piloted. um the um the changes to curricula have been piloted and again as I shared my 10-year-old who was sitting back there was a part of one of those pilots this year. Um were um were they so and they would be reviewed and approved by formal committees of teachers and parents. I know that a couple of years ago when the decision was made to discontinue fifth grade departmentalization um at one of the forums a couple of weeks after that decision was announced, it was mentioned um right here at the middle school library that more

094parent input would be um considered more parent invites to um curriculum committees would happen. Um, has that happened in this case? >> So, we did have the opportunity for a committee with our community uh that we offered. Um, I mentioned it last time at our last meeting. I know you were unable to. I'm more than willing to meet with uh parents as well uh for another committee. Uh, but we did offer it uh to our entire community for us to sit down and look look at some of the data and look at what we experienced throughout our pilot. This was um I want to say a month or two ago. Um it was unfortunate we did not have anyone from the community who attended. Uh we were there with our teachers and our coaches and

095administrators. Um I like I said last time I would gladly uh sit down if if there are some parents who would like to come and we'll go over the data and I'll bring some of the teachers and some of their experiences with the uh new uh with the envision program uh for the shift. Uh I will tell you a lot a big push and I I I respect the people who work with our children on a daily basis. Um, a lot of these changes and what they're looking for was driven through our teachers and then and and our coaches and the things that we were seeing happen within our classrooms. Um, it'd be silly of me not to talk to those people and hear from them about what's really they feel is necessary for our

096students in the ISUP school district. Um, in regards to uh any parents who would like to, if you'd like to reach out to me, I'll gladly set up another meeting. uh we can go over the data and I'll bring the teachers as well as the coaches uh to talk about the uh process uh this school year um uh and and how we came to our decision. I appreciate that. Um so no parents or community members sit on the actual curriculum committees to help um give input. I know that we have a healthy number of educator parents like myself who are raising children in this community who have decades and decades of experience in their craft who would be more than willing to sit on these committees. I know I have for um hiring committees as

097a parent sat on um some of the hiring committees in the past um and which I have as a teacher as well. Um, so just more again kind of aligned with what our UPK parents are concerned about with just transparency and open communication. And you know, at first to me as a parent of a fourth grader seeing um Envision Math K1 Ready Math um 23 piloting Envision once again in four that appears to be three shifts in curricula even though again as as you pointed out it wasn't necessarily the case. um you know it would be very helpful to get more community input um on those sorts of things. I'm not talking about banning books. Um that's far from anything I believe in. Um but just to take e an even more critical look and

098even community members that have experience with this curricula. Um, as a current middle school parent of a sixth grader and just seeing the shift in the student centered materials that our sixth grade teachers create for um based off of um NextGen standards, state standards and how student centered and how easy to understand it is not just for our middle level learners but also for their parents. parents who are trying to help them navigate not only the social emotional waters of middle school, but also the academic challenges and the increase in rigor. Um, and then to turn and see that um, it's not always necessarily the case with the envision sheets that have come home with my daughter with the lack of space that she has to calculate simple um, simple problems. Um I'm thinking in

099the lens also as a mother of both my children of special needs um with some um spatial uh with I can't speak um the lack of space for those kids is definitely frustrating. So hopefully as we also move in this direction again, one we stay a little bit more stable especially with math and two um that we absolutely look to modify not just for kids whose documents require that kind of modification to the presentation of sheets and um materials but also for all learners as well. So >> just if I could just point out um the other pilot we did this year was UFly. We had extensive meetings throughout the year um was parent involvement um throughout the whole time. Um we we went over data, we talked about the research, we talked about the

100uh some of the changes and shifts um and and and on top of that I think you bring up a valid point. I think the shifting from envision K to one and the going to ready uh I wasn't here when we made that decision. I can see how that could cause uh the change in a program may be uh difficult for some kids to handle. Um and I'm I'm happy to hear that we have uh teachers who would prefer to have uh not only the um um vertical alignment but also horizontal that we where we're looking for by having this program two through five. >> Absolutely. And especially since now, you know, our eighth graders all take the algebra 1 regions and some kids were selected to um be in honors math in seventh grade

101uh um with with the um algebra 1 regions as well. just looking ahead um and also keeping in mind as I know we all are as educators um the portrait of a graduate that's going to completely change the game and New York inspires you know I'm definitely keeping my finger on the pulse as a state PTA leader music educator as well as a parent of a middle schooler and um going into her last year of elementary schooler. Um, so and these are all things that to very much keep in mind as we move forward. So I appreciate that. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mrs. Zarky. >> We're we're really done with uh public comments on the cards. So, okay. The last one I have is um and this was an email that came in uh

102prior um Colleen Balsamo and I'll read off what she wrote. Um unfortunately I cannot be in attendance for tonight's meeting. Have had several people ask where I stand on the revised budget. So I wanted to share my thoughts. Over the past several months, I have been very vocal about my concerns with the budget process and the lack of transparency, both publicly and in many one-on-one conversations. I wasn't afraid to ask questions or speak up when someone felt it wasn't right. I also sat through the nearly 4-hour board meeting on May 29th where the board of ed members and community members were asked tough questions and discussed many different options. The contingency budget was also presented in a clear matter should the new proposed budget fail. It wasn't a rubber stamp. It was a real discussion

103about what could be cut from the failed budget to make up the approximately 433,000 gap and I truly believe the community's voices were heard. I've been critical when I felt criticism was warranted and questioned when I felt things needed to be looked at more carefully. But I also think it's important to acknowledge when people listen and respond after following the process closely. I feel happy to support the revised budget and will be voting yes. I do think do I think the budget is perfect? No. Do I think that more changes need to be made moving forward? Yes. But do I believe the district and the board of education listened to the concerns that were raised and made changes based on the feedback they received? I also believe that the district and community have worked together

104to begin and rebuild the foundation of trust and transparency uh that matters. Whether you agree with me or not, I encourage everyone to read the information, ask questions, and vote for our children. An engaged community makes our school stronger. Thank you. So, thank you, Miss Wasamo, for your uh your your comments. She couldn't be here again this evening. Okay. Uh folks, that's going to close out our um public comments section. We're going to move on to reports and correspondence. We're going to start off with our ex official student member, Mr. Deutsch. >> Good evening. I hope everyone is enjoying the start of June and looking forward to the end of the school year. As always, I'd like to share a few upcoming events and opportunities for students and families to get involved in our school

105community. Our first announcement is that Sherwood's fifth grade will be hosting their coffee clutch car wash fundraiser on Saturday, June 13th from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the front parking lot of Iceland Middle School. Car washes are $10 per vehicle, and coffee will be available for $2. Come out to support Sherwood's fifth grade class while getting your car clean and enjoying a cup of coffee. Next, the ISA Booster Club is hosting their IBUK summer camps. The camps will take place over three different weeks beginning June 29th and will feature a variety of sports and activities for students throughout the summer. The cost of the camp is $125 per week and registration information can be found on the ISB booster club website. In addition, the ISUB High School postprom is currently looking for volunteers to

106help with setup for this year's postp prom. Volunteers are needed on June 18th, 19th, and 22nd through the 24th from 2:00 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the ISUP High School cafeteria. Volunteers can come for an hour or stay for the full setup time to help make this event a success for us seniors. Next, the ISUP High School will be offering their Mission High School summer program for students. The program is free to attend and is designed to help students sharpen their study habits, improve organization skills, and prepare for the upcoming school year. The program will run from August 17th through August 21st from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. daily. Families interested in registering should do so by July 10 uh 10th, and students can sign up using the Google form on Parent Square. This is

107a great opportunity for students to reconnect with peers and start the school year prepared for success. Finally, I would like to remind all seniors who are 18 years old to make sure they get out and vote on the budget next week on Tuesday, June 16th. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Afternoon. On Thursday, May 14th, uh the final meeting of the NASA Suffic School Boards Association's Executive Committee was held for the school year. There were a number of topics in which the association wrote letters regarding pending legislation related to charter schools requiring a public vote on their application process, the establishment of a special education reserve, and a bill which would authorize school districts to borrow against certain reserve funds to meet short-term cash flow needs. There was also a letter in support of a

108bill which would delay the zero emissions school bus mandate. These letters will be posted on boards for the board and the community to read. There was also a review of the upcoming resolutions process that NISBA facilitates during the summer and fall. And there was a recent um overview of the NISBA board of directors meeting which took place in March. Lastly, Mr. Vekio, the executive director, provided a review of the state budget and a number of policy and legislative implications as a result of the budget being adopted. The next committee meeting will be held on Thursday, September 17th. >> Thank you. Um, overall, this state budget process proved to be the latest the latest and the most prolonged in the past 16 years. The enacted budget reflected a total school aid increase of 4.46% or a

109$ 1.66 billion increase compared to the previous school year. The foundation aid category saw an increase of 3.9% or a $ 1.03 billion increase with all districts seeing a minimum increase of at least 2% increase in their foundation aid. There were two changes in a way in the way in which students needs will be measured within the foundation aid moving forward. These include mechanisms in which homeless and English language learner students are calculated by the 2028 2022 school year. And this kind of goes into the UPK conversation. Um districts will be required to provide a full day pre kindergarten seat for any eligible student who seeks to be enrolled within that school district. And it is critical, as we do here, that districts begin to plan for this adjustment in any capacity. The enacted budget

110also amends the zero emission school bus deadlines by five years. There are some major reforms that I'm sure everybody has heard about related to tier five and tier six as well as other important policy topics. There will be a full analysis from NISBA and refit that will be loaded uploaded on board docs for the community and the board to review. Thank you, Mr. Jine. things to remember. Very important. June 16th, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. will be the school district budget revoke here in high school. And then that same evening around 9:30 total that will be a board event meeting and that will be in the cafeteria high school. school will be closed on June 19th, June 10th. And then our other less board event meeting for this year will be on June 23rd, 5:30

111p.m. will be executive session. 7 p.m. will be the public and that will be here in the high school. So that's all we have and I get a motion for >> this. Can I get a second? >> All those in favor? Folks, thank you for attending. Stay safe and we'll see you at the next board meeting.