BOARD OF EDUCATION
Regular Meeting
July 10, 2007
|
MEMBERS PRESENT: |
Mrs. Bowles, Mr. Casey, Mr. DiLallo, Mrs. Grey, Mr. Huff, Mr. Mincher, Mrs. Wiggins |
|
OTHERS PRESENT: |
Dr. Dutkowsky, Mrs. DeFeciani,
Mrs. Longhurst, |
The meeting of the Board of Education was called to order at 5:30 p.m. by Mr. Casey.
MOTION BY Mrs. Grey, seconded by Mr. DiLallo, to move into Executive Session to discuss contract matters.
Unanimously approved, motion carried.
MOTION BY Mr. DiLallo, seconded by Mrs. Bowles, to move back into Public Session at 6:55 p.m.
Unanimously approved, motion carried.
Dr. Robinson called the regular meeting to order at 7 p.m.
Pledge of Allegiance
Dr. Robinson led those in attendance in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
Emergency Exits
Dr. Robinson pointed out the emergency exits from the room.
1. ADOPT AGENDA
Dr. Robinson requested an
amendment to the agenda by adding item 8.j.6
– Bids – Renovation Work to
MOTION BY Mr. DiLallo, seconded by Mrs. Wiggins, to accept this evening’s agenda with the amendment as requested.
Unanimously approved. Motion carried.
2. Oath/Election
a.
Oath of Office – Newly Elected Board Members
Dr. Robinson swore in Gary DiLallo and
b.
Election of and Oath of Office – Board Officers
Mrs. Grey nominated Mr. Casey as Board
President and Mr. DiLallo seconded the nomination.
MOTION BY Mrs. Wiggins, seconded by Mrs.
Bowles, that Mr. Casey serve as Board President for the 2007-2008 school year.
Unanimously approved, motion carried.
Dr. Robinson swore in Mr. Casey as Board
President.
Mr. Mincher nominated Janet Grey as Board
Vice President and Mrs. Bowles seconded the nomination.
MOTION BY Mrs. Wiggins, seconded by Mr.
DiLallo, that Mrs. Grey serve as Board Vice President for the 2007-2008 school
year.
Unanimously approved, motion carried.
Mr. Casey swore in Mrs. Grey as Board Vice
President and Dr. Robinson as Interim Board Clerk.
3. BOARD OF
EDUCATION COMMENTS/REPORT
Mr. DiLallo updated the Board on the activities of NYSSBA to create a
symposium of individuals involved with school construction. Currently, the entire process takes too long
and is too expensive. Mr. DiLallo met
with David Little and Charles Dawson, officials in the organization, who are
going forward with the symposium which includes architects, builders, and attorneys
to investigate ways to expedite and make the process less expensive. It is hoped that the symposium will take
place in October. A study of the WICKS
Law will also be included.
Mrs. Grey congratulated both Mr. Casey and Dr. Robinson for the fine
speeches they provided at graduation.
She felt everyone involved in graduation did a great job. She also welcomed Mr. Mincher to the Board
and congratulated Mr. DiLallo and Mr. Casey on their re-election. She is honored to be re-elected Vice President.
Mr. Huff congratulated the graduates.
He also encouraged individual Board members to call the Governor’s
office regarding the fund balance allowance.
The number is 474-8390. He noted
that we need flexibility to control the year-to- year increases in the tax
rate. Mr. Huff is looking forward to a
great year and he congratulated Mr. Mincher for joining the Board.
Mr. Casey thanked the Board members for their great comments and
support. He noted that it takes a group
effort to work on the Board and he strives to keep an open mind. Every member of the Board represents a
different perspective and he appreciates the comments from the Board. The Board has made tremendous strides.
4. PUBLIC
COMMENTS
Mrs. Pam Kelly, 27 Weston Drive, Clifton Park, expressed her concern for
the change in class size numbers in Okte in the fall. She is present as both a Co-President of the
PTA and a parent. She said she has been
contacted by staff, PTA members and parents about the numbers. She said they have not been given exact
numbers, but fifth grade could possibly have 27 to 28 children as opposed to 21
in the past several years. There’s a
concern that the numbers will be too high for the fall, especially with the new
school opening in the fall that supposedly was to help reduce class size. Mrs. Kelly would appreciate a second
look at the numbers in the class sizes.
Mr. Bill Acker, 3 Pine Grove Lane, Rexford, also has concerns with the
numbers at Okte. He feels the 5th
grade teachers have done well with the team-teaching environment. He made the following points: 1)
This community clearly supports small class size. That’s why it voted for the new school. 2) He
is concerned about the continuity of teachers.
3) This community has a lot of
new houses that could be occupied during this year. A new teacher may be needed later in the
year. 4)
We need a communication strategy.
There have been hundreds of e-mails on this topic. It would be very helpful if a strategy was
put together.
Mr. Paul Hanson, 27 Archer Drive, Clifton Park, noted that parents are
very concerned about the Okte situation, particularly about the numbers. Anything that the Board could do to assist
with this would be appreciated. Mr.
Hanson would like to see a communication strategy.
Mrs. Mary Ellen Egan-Boyajian, 7 Oak Hill Drive, Clifton Park, would like
to see a statewide mandate to provide full-day kindergarten to our
children. She would like to see a
district policy created for an Extended Day Kindergarten Program as she believes
many children in the community need these services. Shenendehowa excels in sports, honors and
accelerated classes, but the disadvantaged are not being properly served. Early intervention is vital.
Mrs. Boyajian also commented upon the lack of honors classes at the
Middle School. There is no honors class
for Science or Social Studies. However,
there is honors Math and Language Arts.
It doesn’t make sense to take one without the other. Science and Math should be paired together as
well as Social Studies and Language Arts.
Mrs. Boyajian would also like clarification as to what receiving
“credit” for outside music classes means.
She has been told that this credit does not get applied to graduation
requirements. She stated that she has
been told by the State Education Department that there are schools that give
children credit for outside lessons.
Mrs. Boyajian is also concerned that there is not a collective way for
information to flow back to the public as feedback after making comments to the
Board. She suggested that a public
website could be considered to accomplish this.
5.
SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT
Dr. Robinson mentioned that an administrative session will be held this
month to discuss District goals. He
hopes to present these goals to the Board of Education in draft format in August
and subsequent approval by the Board.
A proposed date has been set for the Board Retreat. He asked the Board members to please respond
to Mr. Casey regarding the proposed date – August 21, 2007.
Dr. Robinson noted that Shatekon is on schedule and the redistricting is
being finalized.
Dr. Robinson announced that Shenendehowa is being recognized nationally for
communications at the National Schools Public Relations Conference. Kelly DeFeciani is representing Shenendehowa
in Phoenix, Arizona, to receive the Gold Medallion Award.
6. INFORMATION
ITEMS
a. Policy Governance
1) First Reading – 7000 Series
Mrs. Longhurst noted that it was determined that all of these policies
should be included in the policy manual.
Dr. Robinson mentioned that a major policy coming up for review is the
Code of Conduct. Enhancements have been
made to the policy along with the Athletic Code of Conduct which looks to tie
academic performance to participation.
He hopes that this policy is completed as close to the start of school
as possible and will be phased in during the course of the school year.
7. CONSENT ITEMS
a. Treasurer’s Reports
1) June 12, 2007
2) June 26, 2007
MOTION by Mr. DiLallo, seconded by Mrs. Grey, to accept the Treasurer’s
Reports for May 2007 and the Minutes of June 12 and June 26, 2007, with the
changes noted to June 12: Page 1 – Mr.
Boiko should read Mrs. Boiko; Page 2 – the sentence “CSEA and the Labor
Relations Board have talked with the Board of Education and it is hoped that a
position will be found within the District” should be attributed to Dr. Dutkowsky.
Unanimously approved, motion carried.
8. ACTION ITEMS
a. Code of Ethics
MOTION BY Mrs. Grey, seconded by Mr. DiLallo, to accept the Code of
Ethics as presented this evening.
Unanimously approved, motioned carried.
b. Annual Appointments
MOTION by Mrs. Grey, seconded by Mrs. Wiggins, to accept the Annual
Appointments as presented this evening.
Unanimously approved, motioned carried.
c. Annual Authorizations
MOTION BY Mrs. Wiggins, seconded by Mrs. Bowles, to accept the Annual
Authorizations as presented this evening.
Unanimously approved, motioned carried.
d. Depositories/Petty Cash Funds
MOTION BY Mr. DiLallo, seconded by Mrs. Wiggins to accept the
Depositories/Petty Cash Funds as presented this evening with the removal of Sue
Martin’s name from the Business Office Petty Cash fund and the addition of
Kathleen Wetmore.
Unanimously approved, motioned carried.
e. Bondings
MOTION BY Mrs. Bowles, seconded by Mr. Huff, to accept the Bondings as
presented this evening.
Unanimously approved, motioned carried.
f. Regular Meeting Dates/Locations
MOTION BY Mr. DiLallo, seconded by Mrs. Bowles, to accept the Regular
Meeting Dates/Locations as presented this evening.
Unanimously approved, motioned carried.
g. Policy/Governance
1) Second Reading – Policy 2210 (Board of
Education), Policies 5630, 5631, 5632, 5640, 5650, 5660, 5670, 5672, 5681,
5682, 5683, 5686, 5687 (Non-Instructional Operations), Policies 5710, 5720,
5730, 5740, 5750, 5760, 5761 (Transportation)
Mr. Huff had questions and concerns regarding retention of records. Dr. Robinson explained the difference
between FOIL and private requests for records and that regulations need to
protect privacy. Mr. Casey suggested
that this policy be brought back to the next policy meeting. The policy is approved, but it will be looked
at for implementing regulation.
h. Students
1) Special Education Placements
MOTION by Mrs. Wiggins, seconded by Mr. DiLallo, that the Board of Education approve the special education placements and services for the 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 school years based upon the recommendation of the District Committee on Special Education, the Committee on Special Education Subcommittee, and the Committee on Preschool Special Education. (These documents are on file in the official minutes folder.)
Unanimously approved, motion carried.
i. Personnel
1) Staffing
Dr. Dutkowsky presented the staffing report and addendum to the
Board. There was also discussion and an
explanation of the additional positions created, in particular the Middle
School mathematics acceleration position.
Dr. Robinson explained that the planning process will address needs in
the long-term.
MOTION by Mrs. Wiggins, seconded by Mr. DiLallo, that the Board of Education approve the staffing recommendations and addendum as presented by Dr. Dutkowsky, as follows:
A. RETIREMENTS, with appreciation
and regret
1) Classified
Staff
a. Name: Joseph McCormick
Position: Bus
Driver
Reason: Retirement
after 11 years
Commencing: June 30, 2007
B. RESIGNATIONS
1) Certified Staff
a. Name: Michele Drozinski
Tenure
Area: Family
& Consumer Sciences
Commencing: August 31, 2007 (end of
day)
2) Classified Staff
a. Name: Jody Anson
Position: School
Monitor (Secondary)
Commencing: August 31, 2007 (end of
day)
b. Name: Susanna Brooks
Position: Counselor’s
Aide
Commencing: August 31, 2007 (end of
day)
c. Name: Richard Howard
Position: Cleaner
Commencing: July 10, 2007 (end of
day)
d. Name: Nancy Lawlor
Position: Teacher Aide
(Special Education)
Commencing: August 31, 2007 (end of
day)
C. RESCIND APPOINTMENT
1) Classified Staff
a. Name: David Burton
Position: Groundskeeper
Commencing: June 24, 2007
D. ABOLISHMENT
OF POSITIONS
1) Classified Staff
a. Position: Principal Stenographer
No.
of Positions: 1.0 FTE
Commencing: July 10, 2007 (end of
day)
b. Position: Stenographer
No. of Positions: 1.0 FTE
Commencing: July 10, 2007 (end of
day)
c. Position: Typist
No. of Positions: 1.0 FTE
Commencing: July 10, 2007 (end of
day)
E. CREATION
OF POSITIONS
1) Certified Staff
a. Position: Art Teacher
No. of Positions: .2 FTE
b. Position: Music Teacher
No. of Positions: .2 FTE
c. Position: Special Education Teacher
No. of Positions: .6 FTE
d. Position: Elementary Teacher
No. of Positions: .2 FTE
e. Position: Math Teacher
No. of Positions: 1.0 FTE
f. Position: Coach - Football
No. of Positions: 1.0
2) Classified Staff
a. Position: Principal Typist
No.
of Positions: 2.0 FTE
Commencing: July 11, 2007
b. Position: Senior Typist
No. of Positions: 1.0 FTE
Commencing: September 1, 2007
Salary: Clerical Schedule, Group VI
c. Position: Bus Cleaner
No. of Positions: 5.0
Commencing: Summer 2007
Salary: $11.22/hr.
d. Position: Mechanic’s Helper
No. of Positions: 1.0
Commencing: Summer 2007
F. CHANGE IN EMPLOYMENT
1) Classified Staff
a. Name: Martha Gordon
Position: Registrar
From: Provisional-Competitive
To: Probationary-Competitive
Commencing: July
11, 2007
Salary: $16.97/hr.
(Registrar Schedule, Step 2)
b. Name: Michele Mastrianni
From
Position: Stenographer
To Position: Principal Typist
Commencing: July 11, 2007
Salary: $24.46/hr.
(Confidential Schedule, Step 7)
c. Name: Susan Tocco
Position: Assistant
Employee Services Coordinator
From: Provisional-Competitive
To: Probationary-Competitive
Commencing: July 11, 2007
Salary: $18.19/hr. (Confidential
Schedule, Step 3)
G. APPOINTMENTS
- (These appointments are conditioned on the school district’s receipt of a
clearance for the employee from the State Education Department following a
criminal history records check in accordance with the provisions of Education
Law § 3035).
1)
Certified Staff
a. Name: Karen Avenarius
Tenure
Area: Elementary
Education
Status: 3 year
probationary
Commencing: September 1, 2007
Salary: $46,297
(Step 6)*
b. Name: Jessmyn Bartow
Position: 0.5 FTE Music Education (K-12)
Status: Term
Commencing: 09/01/07 – 06/30/08
Salary: $39,743 (Step 1) * pro-rated
c. Name: Christian Bernd
Tenure Area: Elementary Education
Status: 3 year probationary
Commencing: September 1, 2007
Salary: $43,555 (Step 4)*
d. Name: Matthew Cremisio
Tenure Area: Academic Administrator for Music K-12
Status: 3 year probationary
Commencing: August 1, 2007
Salary: $74,000
e. Name: Hana Fullenbaum
Position: 0.9 FTE Social Studies 7-12
Status: Term
Commencing: 09/01/07 – 06/30/08
Salary: $39,743 (Step 1)* pro-rated
f. Name: Laura Gavlik
Position: 0.75 FTE Earth Science
Status: Term
Commencing: 09/01/07 – 06/30/08
Salary: $39,743 (Step 1)* pro-rated
g. Name: Kristen Graber
Tenure Area: Elementary Education
Status: 2 year probationary
Commencing: September 1, 2007
Salary: $47,732 (Step 7)*
h. Name: Cynthia Guile
Tenure Area: School Psychologist
Status: Term
Commencing: first semester 2007-08 school year
Salary: $68,852
(Step 19)* plus Psychologist