Dec 04, 2024 December 4, 2024 - Business Meeting

[00:00:05]

HELLO AND WELCOME TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING OF DECEMBER 4TH, 2024.

[2. Public Session - 7:30 p.m.]

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.

NATALIE, WOULD YOU PLEASE REITERATE THE EXECUTIVE SESSION MOTION? YES. WE MET TO DISCUSS THE EMPLOYMENT HISTORY OF PARTICULAR, OF A PARTICULAR INDIVIDUAL, AND TO DISCUSS THE RECORD OF A PARTICULAR STUDENT.

THANK YOU.

OKAY, SO I HOPE EVERYONE HAD A WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY AND IS READY FOR MORE UPCOMING FESTIVITIES AS WE GO THROUGH DECEMBER AND INTO THE NEW YEAR.

LEADING UP TO THE HOLIDAY I HAD THE PLEASURE OF WATCHING SOCK AND BUSKIN PRODUCTION OF AND THEN THERE WERE NONE.

IT WAS AN EXCELLENT WAY TO SPEND THE WEEKEND.

I ALSO ATTENDED THE THANKSGIVING DINNER HOSTED BY THE BRIDGE PROGRAM STUDENTS, ANNEMARIE DID AS WELL AND KATHRYN.

IT'S A WONDERFUL TRADITION WITH GREAT FOOD AND COMPANY.

IN THE COMING WEEKS, THERE WILL BE MUSIC CONCERTS TO ATTEND.

I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THE HIGH SCHOOL CHORUS CONCERT NEXT WEEK.

PLEASE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OPPORTUNITIES TO CELEBRATE WITH PELHAM STUDENTS DURING THIS TIME.

YESTERDAY, WE HELD OUR SECOND JOINT FINANCE AND FACILITIES COMMITTEE MEETING WITH THE DISTRICT'S ARCHITECTS TO REFINE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FACILITIES UPDATES BASED ON THE DEMOGRAPHIC STUDY THAT PROJECTS STUDENT ENROLLMENT BY SCHOOL AND OUR RECENTLY COMPLETED BUILDINGS AND CONDITIONS SURVEY. WE WILL GO OVER SOME OF THE KEY THEMES FROM THAT MEETING IN OUR COMMITTEE REPORT.

AND THEN WE WILL ALSO UPDATE THE FULL BOARD AT OUR UPCOMING RETREAT AND WE WILL START TO PRIORITIZE THESE PROJECTS DISCUSS BUDGET AND FINANCING OPTIONS, AND THEN SOON AFTER, ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY FOR THEIR INPUT.

OKAY. ALL RIGHT.

DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20TH, 2024 BUSINESS MEETING.

[3. Approval of Minutes]

SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? NO. DR.

[4. Administrative and Committee Reports]

AND I WOULD ALSO WISH EVERYONE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING.

HOPE YOU HAD A GREAT TIME.

GOT AWAY AND GOT SOME REST.

I MYSELF GOT EIGHT INCHES OF SNOW TO ENJOY, SO THAT WAS FUN.

NICE BUT NICE TO BE WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY FOR THE WEEKEND.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT, WE HAVE ONLY 12 MORE DAYS OF SCHOOL UNTIL WE'RE ON THE HOLIDAY BREAK.

SO ALL THOSE WONDERFUL THINGS THAT JACKIE JUST MENTIONED, WE'RE SQUEEZING ALL THAT IN AND A WHOLE LOT OF LEARNING IN THE NEXT 12 DAYS.

THIS IS THE WAY THE CALENDAR FELL THIS YEAR IS I'M SORRY I'M STRESSING PEOPLE OUT.

BUT YEAH, IT'S A JUST FAST PACED BUT REALLY EXCITING THINGS GOING ON.

I KNOW MYSELF AND I KNOW MY COLLEAGUES TOO, IN THE CABINET LEVEL AND THE ADMINISTRATIVE LEVEL AS WELL.

THERE'S BEEN WE'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE IN CLASSROOMS A LOT LATELY DOING OBSERVATIONS IN PARTICULAR.

WE'VE WE ALL OBSERVED DIFFERENT TEACHERS, WHETHER IT'S BRAND NEW TEACHERS, PROBATIONARY TEACHERS, TENURE TEACHERS.

IT'S JUST A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO BE IN CLASSROOMS AND SEE INSTRUCTION HAPPENING.

I KNOW THAT WE'VE ALL BEEN RUNNING AROUND DOING THAT AND ENJOYING EVERY MINUTE OF IT, BECAUSE IT REALLY IS.

IT REMINDS YOU WHAT, WHAT, WHAT WE'RE HERE FOR.

AND SEEING SO MANY TALENTED STAFF WORKING WITH OUR KIDS IS REALLY, REALLY EXCITING.

ANOTHER THING I HAVE NOTICED, AND I MADE A POINT OF NOTICING IT TODAY AS I WAS DOING, SPECIFIC IN CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONS, THE PHONES AND THE CALCULATOR HOLDERS, IT'S WORKING. IT IS A REALLY NICE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AND I THINK WE CAN ALL ECHO THAT.

YOU WALK IN, YOU JUST DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT ANYMORE.

THE STUDENTS WALK IN, THEY DROP IT IN THERE RIGHT BY THE DOOR.

YOU DON'T SEE IT. YOU DON'T THINK ABOUT IT.

THERE WERE TIMES WHERE I LOOKED UP AND I'M LIKE, OH MY GOSH, THERE'S NOT.

OH, THERE'S ALL THE PHONES OVER THERE SO.

SO I JUST AGAIN, KUDOS AND I JUST WANT THE BOARD TO KNOW THAT TOO THE ENVIRONMENT STILL WITHIN THE SCHOOL IS IS REALLY A NOTICEABLE DIFFERENCE.

SO WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THAT AND CERTAINLY LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM THE COMMITTEE THAT IS TAKING A DEEPER LOOK INTO THAT IN THE COMING MONTHS.

COUPLE OF THINGS. IN YOUR MAILBOXES OVER THE BREAK.

YOU SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED THE FLYER OR THE MAILER I'VE GOT ALL MY POST-IT NOTES ON IT, FROM THE STRATEGIC PLAN.

SO THAT WAS MAILED TO ALL HOMES IN THE COMMUNITY RIGHT BEFORE THE BREAK.

SO THAT SHOULD HAVE HIT MAILBOXES BY NOW.

SO WE'RE EXCITED TO TO PUT THAT OUT.

WE TRIED TO KEEP IT REALLY SIMPLE THIS YEAR JUST FOR VISUALLY SO THAT FOLKS COULD REALLY HAVE.

YEAH, IT LOOKS GREAT. JUST A SIMPLE SPREAD THAT CAPTURED ALL THE THE BIG PIECES THERE.

[00:05:05]

WE'RE REALLY PROUD TO PUT THAT OUT AND EXCITED ABOUT THE WORK THAT IS GOING ON RELATED TO THAT.

LET'S SEE TONIGHT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE ANOTHER BRIEF MEETING.

BUT WHAT YOU WILL SEE IS A LITTLE BIT MORE OF THE BITTERSWEET NEWS OF MORE RETIREMENTS.

SO WE DID HAVE SEVERAL MORE COME IN SINCE OUR LAST MEETING.

SO DR. FITZGERALD WILL BE GOING THROUGH THOSE LATER ON TONIGHT.

THIS WAS A REALLY OVERALL VERY LARGE GROUP OF EDUCATORS COMING TO THIS, YOU KNOW, IMPORTANT MILESTONE IN THEIR CAREERS.

SO INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF TALENT BEING GRADUATED ON I'M NOT GOING TO SAY LOST, BUT THEIR EXPERTISE REALLY HAS SERVED THE DISTRICT SO WELL. SO IT'S GOING TO BE A LOT OF BUSY MONTHS AHEAD WITH WITH LOOKING TO REPLACE THOSE FOLKS.

BUT WE'RE CERTAINLY GOING TO ENJOY THEIR THEIR COMPANY AND THEIR CONTINUED PROFESSIONALISM IN THESE REMAINING MONTHS.

ANOTHER THING THAT I WILL MENTION, JUST THAT WAS FUN TODAY, AND I'VE GOT ANOTHER SESSION OF THIS COMING UP THIS WEEK.

EVERY YEAR I TRY TO SET UP A STUDENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE, ONE AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL, ONE AT THE HIGH SCHOOL.

SO A GROUP OF STUDENTS THAT THE BUILDINGS SELECT TO MEET WITH ME.

SOMETIMES I'M GOING TO INVITE MISS COMERFORD TO THE NEXT MEETING.

JUST A CHANCE TO TALK TO HEAR STUDENTS, HEAR FROM THEM, HEAR WHAT'S TRANSITION FROM MIDDLE SCHOOL TO ELEMENTARY TO MIDDLE SCHOOL.

LIKE, WHAT'S THE HOMEWORK LIKE? HOW'S THE FOOD? WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS ABOUT THE SCHOOL THAT ARE GREAT? WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU MIGHT WANT US TO THINK ABOUT FOR IMPROVING? SO I MET WITH MIDDLE SCHOOL TODAY.

IT WAS A LOT OF FUN.

AND THEN WE'LL BE I'LL BE MEETING WITH THE HIGH SCHOOL END OF THE WEEK.

SO IT'S IT'S JUST GREAT YOU PICK UP SOME WONDERFUL IDEAS FROM THE STUDENTS OVER THE YEARS.

SO THAT I KNOW I WANT TO CERTAINLY THANK NATALIE AND SID FOR ATTENDING THE PEDESTRIAN SAFETY EVENT THAT WAS PUT ON BY THE JUNIOR LEAGUE YESTERDAY.

I HAD A CONFLICT, COULD NOT BE THERE.

BUT I KNOW THAT IT WAS A REALLY IMPORTANT EVENT, AND I'M SURE THAT THERE WILL BE MORE TO COME.

AND I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM THEM TONIGHT ON WHAT CAME OUT OF THAT MEETING.

AND THEN FINALLY, I WILL JUST CONCLUDE WITH, I KNOW FOLKS HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING THE POLICY AND ADVOCACY TYPES OF ISSUES IN SCHOOLS.

THE ROCKEFELLER INSTITUTE CAME OUT WITH THEIR REPORT.

THAT HAD BEEN COMMISSIONED BY BY THE GOVERNOR, BY THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE ON FOUNDATION AID.

SO WE'RE STILL DIGESTING THAT.

CERTAINLY, I THINK THE MAIN THEMES THAT THERE WERE SOME TWEAKS THAT WERE RECOMMENDED WITHIN THAT.

BUT ALMOST ONE OF THOSE HERE'S THE REPORT WE WERE GIVEN A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME TO DO THIS SO HERE'S OUR INITIAL FINDINGS.

BUT WE THINK THAT THERE SHOULD BE LONGER, MORE STUDY.

SO I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH THAT REALLY TELLS ONE, BUT I WOULD SAY HOPEFUL NEWS THAT I SAW IN AN ARTICLE BEING CIRCULATED TODAY IS I THINK THE GOVERNOR IS AND SEEMS TO BE INDICATING THAT SHE MAY NOT BE LOOKING TO REMOVE SAFE HARMLESS IN THE NEXT BUDGET CYCLE, WHICH WILL BE WONDERFUL FOR FROM A FUNDING STABILITY PERSPECTIVE FOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS, SOMETHING WE'VE BEEN ADVOCATING AROUND FOR YEARS.

WE HAVE NOT BEEN IN A SAFE, HARMLESS POSITION YET, BUT EACH BUDGET CYCLE IS KIND OF THE THERE'S ALWAYS A NEW LAYER ADDED ON TO THE CALCULATIONS.

SO AS OF RIGHT NOW, I'M GOING TO KEEP THAT TENTATIVELY AS SOME HOPEFUL NEWS.

AND CERTAINLY THROUGH OUR PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS, WE'LL BE HEARING MORE ABOUT THEIR ANALYSIS OF THE ROCKEFELLER REPORT AND ANY SUBSEQUENT ADVOCACY.

SO I THINK IF ANYTHING, I THINK WE NEED TO KEEP MAKING SURE THAT SAFE HARMLESS IS IN PLACE.

AND FUNDING STABILITY IS CRITICAL FOR ALL OF US MOVING FORWARD AS WE FIGURE OUT WHETHER IT'S SHORT OR LONG TERM, WHAT WILL COME FROM THAT FOUNDATION FORMULA.

THAT'S IT FOR ME TONIGHT, THOUGH.

THANK YOU, DR. CHAMP.

NEXT IS 4.2 BOARD OF EDUCATION COMMITTEE REPORTS.

I'LL GO. SINCE TRACY IS NOT HERE, WE HAD A WELLNESS COMMITTEE MEETING THIS WEEK.

IT WAS GREAT.

WE STARTED OFF WITH A REALLY INTERESTING EXERCISE WHERE SHE HAD US TALK ABOUT SOMEONE IN OUR LIFE WHO SUPPORTED OUR WELLNESS, EITHER AS, AS A STUDENT OR EVEN AS AN ADULT.

SO IT WAS A GREAT CONVERSATION AND ACTUALLY SPARKED SOME INTERESTING IDEAS FOR THINGS FOR THE THE COMMITTEE TO FOCUS ON.

WE HAD TWO NEW STUDENT MEMBERS THAT WERE BROUGHT TO US THROUGH PELHAM TOGETHER.

SO THAT WAS REALLY GREAT.

AND THEY WERE THEY SEEMED EXCITED TO BE THERE AND REALLY ENGAGED WITH THE GROUP.

AND THEN WE STARTED TO IDENTIFY A FEW DIFFERENT FOCUS AREAS AND SUBCOMMITTEES FOR THE WORK THAT WE'RE GOING TO DO THIS YEAR.

SO THERE ARE NO DETAILS YET ABOUT THAT.

BUT I THINK WE'RE MAKING GOOD PROGRESS.

GREAT. THANK YOU.

I THINK. DO YOU WANT ME TO TALK ABOUT FACILITIES AND FINANCE? YEAH. I DON'T THINK THERE WAS ANOTHER COMMITTEE.

OKAY. SO WE HAD A JOINT FACILITIES AND FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING YESTERDAY.

[00:10:06]

I THINK AT A HIGH LEVEL, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF SORT OF INFRASTRUCTURE RELATED TOPICS.

NOT VERY EXCITING THINGS LIKE BOILERS AND WINDOWS AND ROOFS AND MASONRY THAT ARE NOT EXCITING, BUT ARE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO HAVE TO KEEP A BUILDING OPEN AND TO HAVE IT RUNNING ALL WINTER.

ADA COMPLIANCE AT SIWANOY, WHICH IS 35 YEARS PAST THE PASSAGE OF ADA, SO THAT'S ON THE AGENDA.

IMPROVING AIR QUALITY AND VENTILATION IN THE VARIOUS BUILDINGS AND AIR CONDITIONING THAT GOES ALONG WITH THAT, POTENTIALLY.

AND THEN SOME UPGRADES AND EXPANSION POSSIBILITIES TO ADDRESS STUDENT GROWTH AND OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPROVE SOME OF THE PROGRAMMATIC PIECES.

AND SO KGD, YOU KNOW, IT'S STILL EARLY IN THE PROCESS THEY WERE DEVELOPING I WOULDN'T EVEN CALL THEM ESTIMATES, BUT MORE LIKE BUDGETING NUMBERS TO SORT OF GIVE A ROUGH ESTIMATE OF WHERE WHAT THINGS MIGHT COST TO START THINKING ABOUT PRIORITIES.

AND WE TALKED THROUGH SOME DIFFERENT VARIATIONS ON, ON SOME OF THOSE PROJECTS, AND THEY WERE GOING TO GO BACK AND DO SOME MORE WORK TO TO THINK ABOUT WHAT, WHAT THE FINANCIAL IMPACTS OF THOSE MIGHT BE, AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION, I THINK, AT THE RETREAT.

YEAH. SO. I THINK I THINK ONE THING TO NOTE IS THAT IN THERE'S A STEADY ENROLLMENT, RIGHT? PROJECTIONS FOR, FOR THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.

BUT THERE'S DEFINITELY OPPORTUNITY TO SORT OF RIGHTSIZE RIGHTSIZE THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, PARTICULARLY SIWANOY AND COLONIAL.

THINGS LIKE MAYBE MOVING AWAY FROM HAVING BASEMENT CLASSROOMS AND HAVING MORE CLASSROOMS THAT ARE OF A STANDARD SIZE.

ONE OF THE THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT IN THE MEETING YESTERDAY WAS THAT AT SIWANOY, THE KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOMS ARE JUST TWO THIRDS THE SIZE OF THE CURRENT STANDARD FOR FOR KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOMS OR FOR CLASSROOMS. AND THEN AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL AND THE HIGH SCHOOL, THAT IS WHERE THERE WILL BE A CAPACITY ISSUE.

RIGHT. AND WE'LL THE DISTRICT WILL HAVE TO PROVIDE MORE CLASSROOM SPACE AT SOME POINT.

IT ALSO NEEDS MORE CAFETERIA SPACE.

RIGHT. AND OUR SCIENCE LABS COULD BE UPDATED TO BE MORE STATE OF THE ART.

SO THOSE ARE THE THINGS WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT AS WELL.

YEAH. YEAH.

SO I THINK OUR HOPE CERTAINLY AS WE HAD YOU KNOW, OUR NEXT MEETING IS, IS INTENDED TO BE THAT BOARD RETREAT.

SO WE'LL DO A LITTLE BIT OF JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A DEEP DIVE IN SOME DATA AS A FOLLOW UP TO CLARE'S PRESENTATION BACK IN NOVEMBER, BUT THEN CERTAINLY LOOK FORWARD TO TAKING A LOOK INTO THE FACILITY.

SO OUR HOPE IS TO I THINK WHERE WE LEFT OFF WITH THE COMMITTEE MEETING THE OTHER DAY WAS WE GAVE SOME FEEDBACK TO KGD AND THAT THEY WERE GOING TO GO BACK YET AGAIN AND DO A LITTLE BIT MORE HONING OF THEIR PROPOSALS TO GIVE US A EVEN, YOU KNOW, MORE BETTER DESIGN BASED ON OUR INITIAL FEEDBACK.

ALSO BE ABLE TO GIVE US SOME ADDITIONAL POTENTIAL BUDGET, BUDGET NUMBERS.

AND I KNOW THAT JIM WAS GOING TO BE WORKING WITH CMA TO GET JUST KIND OF SOME BALLPARK NUMBERS OF HOW HOW THINGS MIGHT WHAT THE WORD IS ESCAPING ME, SOME INCREMENTAL, YES, SOME INCREMENTAL BREAKDOWNS, WHICH WOULD HELP US AS WE START TO LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, THE PROJECTS THAT WE'VE THE STARTING POINT FOR CONVERSATION IS PROJECTS THAT ARE LIKE THE ALL IN IDEAL OF EVERYTHING.

AND THEN WE PARE BACK AND START TO PRIORITIZE FROM THAT.

SO I THINK TO UNDERSTAND ALSO THEN WHAT MIGHT THOSE INCREMENTAL FINANCIAL MILESTONES LOOK LIKE PAIRED WITH THAT WILL BE IMPORTANT INFORMATION.

[00:15:02]

AND AND I WOULD SAY TOO, IF THE BOARD HAS ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS OR INFORMATION THAT YOU WOULD LIKE AHEAD OF THAT CONVERSATION OR PREPARED FOR THAT CONVERSATION, PLEASE LET US KNOW AND WE'LL BE MEETING TO PREPARE FOR THAT.

AND REALLY POTENTIALLY START WITH SOME, MAYBE SOME SOME SOME DIFFERENT APPROACHES OR DIFFERENT MODELS FOR THE BOARD TO REACT TO.

SO WE'RE NOT JUST STARTING FROM SCRATCH, BUT, YOU KNOW, GIVEN OUR PRIOR CONVERSATIONS AND KNOWING SOME OF THE PRIORITIES THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, TRY TO COME TO YOU WITH MAYBE A COUPLE DIFFERENT LOOKS OF WHAT COULD WHAT COULD BE THE START OF A SCOPE AND THEN BE ABLE THERE TO TALK THROUGH SOME MAYBE PROS AND CONS, STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, PRIORITIES AND MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENTS TO GET US TO A SOME DECISIONS.

WHEN WOULD YOU LIKE THOSE QUESTIONS OR REQUESTS PRIOR TO DECEMBER 18TH.

IF I YEAH, I MEAN, IF THEY'RE QUESTIONS YOU JUST WANT TO TALK ABOUT, THEN I'D SAY BY THE 18TH IS GOOD.

IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU THINK MIGHT TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF RESEARCH THEN I'D SAY, JIM, WOULD YOU SAY A WEEK LEAD TIME BY DECEMBER 12TH? YES.

BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK, A LITTLE TIME TO SEE.

OKAY. YEAH. EXCUSE ME. A WEEK FROM TODAY.

YES. YEAH.

YEAH. SO EARLY NEXT WEEK? OKAY. THAT THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO US.

GREAT. OKAY.

ALL RIGHT.

I THINK THAT'S IT FOR COMMITTEES.

IT'S NOT A COMMITTEE, BUT THEN I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT PEDESTRIAN SAFETY.

PEDESTRIAN SAFETY.

THANK YOU, FIRST OF ALL, TO THE JUNIOR LEAGUE FOR HOLDING THEIR ROUNDTABLE.

THEY DO A YEARLY ROUNDTABLE, AND THIS YEAR THEY DECIDED TO DEDICATE IT TO THE PEDESTRIAN SAFETY.

SID AND I ATTENDED LAST NIGHT, AND YOU KNOW, IT WAS A VERY GOOD CONVERSATION.

SOME OF IT FOCUSED ON THE INITIATIVES THAT ARE CURRENTLY ON THE TABLE.

WE LEARNED HOW LONG IT TAKES FOR SOME OF THESE INITIATIVES TO COME THROUGH.

WE LEARNED, YOU KNOW, IT'S A TWO PRONGED PROBLEM, KIND OF LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO ADDRESS DRIVERS.

WE ALSO HAVE TO ADDRESS PEDESTRIANS.

SO THERE'S ENFORCEMENT WITH A DRIVER.

RIGHT. ENFORCEMENT OF LEARNING HOW TO FOLLOW THE PROPER LAWS.

AND THEN AS A PEDESTRIAN, ALSO KNOWING HOW TO FOLLOW THE PROPER LAWS OF CROSSING THE STREETS AND BEING AWARE, YOU KNOW, NOT LOOKING AT YOUR CELL PHONE WHEN YOU'RE CROSSING THE STREET. SO A LOT OF GOOD CONVERSATION.

I WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALSO ALL OF THE ELECTED OFFICIALS WHO SHOWED UP AND SPOKE AT THE COMMUNITY ROUNDTABLE.

I'VE BEEN IN THIS TOWN FOR TEN YEARS, AND I'VE NOTICED THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN, YOU KNOW, LITTLE THINGS THAT DO IMPACT PEDESTRIAN SAFETY GOING FROM 30 MILES AN HOUR TO 25.

THEY'VE MADE SOME CHANGES AROUND THE SCHOOL AREAS.

WE'RE CHANGING TRAFFIC PATTERNS AND ALSO EXTENDING HOURS OF WHEN THESE PATTERNS TAKE EFFECT, WHICH HAS HELPED A LOT.

AND THEN THEY'VE BEEN BOTH TOWNS BOTH VILLAGES AND THE TOWN HAVE, YOU KNOW, THEY STEP UP ENFORCEMENT.

I KNOW EVERY MORNING IF YOU MAKE A U-TURN RIGHT ACROSS FROM THE MIDDLE SCHOOL, THE POLICE IS THERE WAITING.

DON'T DO IT. THANK YOU.

SO, BECAUSE I SEE IT DAILY, I SEE IT DAILY AND I'M ALWAYS LIKE, OH, THEY GOT YOU.

SO JUST DON'T DO IT.

AND THEN I WOULD LIKE TO THANK PELHAM TOGETHER FOR ALSO BEING THERE.

AND THEY HAD THREE VERY SMART HIGH SCHOOL KIDS WHO SPOKE ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES WITH PEDESTRIAN SAFETY.

SO I DO WISH THAT WE WILL HAVE KIND OF LIKE THESE STUDENTS SPEAK TO THE BROADER HIGH SCHOOL POPULATION ABOUT SAFETY AND THEIR OWN EXPERIENCE WITH, YOU KNOW, ONE CHILD HAD AN ACCIDENT, UNFORTUNATELY.

ANOTHER ONE WORKED IN MAMARONECK LIKE, AS A VOLUNTEER EMT.

AND THEY SEE SOME THINGS.

SO THESE WERE ALL GREAT EXPERIENCES, WHICH AS A PARENT, I APPRECIATE IT, BUT I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT BEING SPOKEN TO THE THE HIGH SCHOOL KIDS AS WELL, SO THEY COULD UNDERSTAND HOW THEY HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION WHEN THEY'RE WALKING THE STREETS.

ESPECIALLY NOW THAT IT GETS SO LATE YOU KNOW, BY 4:00 IT'S ALREADY DARK SO.

SO IT WAS A VERY GOOD CONVERSATION.

I KNOW IN THIS TOWN WE'LL CONTINUE THAT CONVERSATION.

SO I'LL TURN IT OVER TO SID.

OH, I THOUGHT I THINK YOU COVERED MOST EVERYTHING THAT I HAD TO TALK ABOUT.

I THOUGHT IT WAS A CONSTRUCTIVE CONVERSATION.

PEOPLE WERE TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, RAISING CONCERNS THAT THEY'D SEEN IN THE IN THE COMMUNITY.

AND PEOPLE WERE STARTING TO TALK ABOUT SOLUTIONS.

AND SO I THOUGHT IT WAS I THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD CONVERSATION.

THAT'S GREAT.

I STILL HAVE TO SAY, I STILL HAVE TO RETHINK GOING TO PROSPECT HILL BECAUSE OF THE CHANGE IN DIRECTION OF THE STREETS.

YEP. CATCHES ME EVERY TIME AND JUST WHEN I'M ABOUT TO COMPLAIN, I'M LIKE, NOPE, THAT'S SAFER.

THAT'S GOOD.

BUT YEAH, I WILL, YOU KNOW, I'LL REACH OUT TO THE PRINCIPALS AND JUST KIND OF ASK THEM NEXT TIME THEY'VE GOT GRADE LEVEL ASSEMBLIES, ANYTHING LIKE THAT TO CONTINUE TO REMIND

[00:20:08]

YES. JUST CRITICALLY IMPORTANT.

SO WE'LL PASS THAT ON.

THANKS, NATALIE.

NEXT WE HAVE 4.3 ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENTS UPDATE ON PERSONAL GROWTH AND ACHIEVEMENT.

YES. THANK YOU. SO ONE OF THE THINGS I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT TONIGHT IS LAST WEEK, DR.

CALLAHAN AND BETH FINKELSTEIN ORGANIZED OUR FIRST LEARNING WALKS FOR THE YEAR.

A NUMBER OF SECONDARY TEACHERS WENT DOWN TO THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL AND VISITED ELEMENTARY CLASSROOMS OF THEIR PEERS.

THIS KIND OF PROVIDES A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR TEACHERS TO LEARN AND SEE THE K-12 CONTINUUM IN ACTION, AND DRAW THAT CONNECTION FROM THAT WE HAVE A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY HERE IN PELHAM, WHERE THE MAJORITY OF OUR STUDENTS ARE WITH US FOR 12 STRAIGHT YEARS AND WE HAVE A WE WE OWN THAT THAT 12 YEAR CONTINUUM.

AND SO GIVING TEACHERS EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO SEE THAT IN ACTION IS WONDERFUL.

WE ALL THEN ATTENDED A DEBRIEF AT THE END OF THE DAY, LISTENING TO THE SECONDARY TEACHERS PRAISE AND MARVEL AT THEIR ELEMENTARY PEERS, BUT ALSO THINK DEEPLY ABOUT HOW THEIR PRACTICES COULD TRANSLATE INTO THE SECONDARY CLASSROOM.

IT WAS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY AND SOMETHING I WAS VERY HAPPY TO BE A PART OF.

AND THEN IN THE THEN SPRINGTIME, THE ELEMENTARY TEACHERS WILL COME UP TO THE SECONDARY LEVEL AND VISIT CLASSROOMS AND DO PEER OBSERVATIONS HERE AS WELL.

THE NEXT STEM MOVIE NIGHT AT THE PICTURE HOUSE IS DECEMBER 9TH, SO MARK YOUR CALENDARS.

TOMORROW OUR AI USER GROUP MEETS.

IT'S ABOUT 20 PLUS PEOPLE WHO HAVE COME TOGETHER.

THEY'RE PILOTING TWO AI RESOURCES AND TOOLS FOR THE DISTRICT.

AND TOMORROW THE CONVERSATION IS CENTERING AROUND THE YOU KNOW, WHAT WILL BE THE BEST PRACTICES AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE ETHICAL AND RESPONSIBLE USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN PELHAM AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT CONVERSATION.

THANKS TO ALICIA DELMASTRO AND JOHN SEBALOS FOR ORGANIZING THAT WORK AND COLLABORATING WITH ME TO PLAN THE THE LEARNING.

AND AT THE HUMANITIES, WE HAVE THE COMMUNITY PROJECT HAS LAUNCHED AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL.

STUDENTS ARE CHOOSING THEIR PROJECTS AND WORKING ON HOW THAT WILL, YOU KNOW, THAT MEANINGFUL INITIATIVE WILL PLAY OUT FOR THEM THIS YEAR.

THE REGIONAL SPELLING BEE WILL WILL TAKE PLACE.

TROPHIES WILL STILL BE AWARDED FOR TOP THREE FINALISTS.

THERE'S BEEN SOME CHANGES, BUT I THINK EVERYONE WILL BE VERY HAPPY.

THE TEAM HAS WORKED DILIGENTLY TO ENSURE THE PROCESS SUPPORTS ALL STUDENTS AND FAMILIES HAVE BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE.

THANKS TO SUZANNE SHORT FOR KEEPING THAT ALIVE.

THERE WERE SOME BUMPS ON THE ROADS WHEN THE REGIONAL WHERE OUR STUDENTS WOULD GO NEXT, STOPPED HOSTING, SO SHE HAD TO SCRAMBLE AND FIND ANOTHER HOST.

BUT I THINK THAT'S ALL SET.

THE SEAL OF CIVIC READINESS COMMITTEE MET LAST WEEK TO FINALIZE THE HANDBOOK FOR FAMILIES.

THIS INITIATIVE IS INTEGRATED THE PROJECTS THAT ALIGN WITH THE STATE CRITERIA.

REACHING ALMOST ALL SENIOR CLASSES.

THE HISTORY BOWL IS TOMORROW.

THE PTA WILL SPONSOR PIZZA, AND STUDENTS WILL GATHER TO SHOWCASE THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF HISTORY.

AND THEN FINALLY, JUST LOOKING AHEAD, NEXT YEAR WILL BE THE FIRST IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NEW JUNE REGIONS, ENGLISH REGIONS IN JUNE 2026.

ENGLISH TEAM IS WORKING DILIGENTLY TO ENSURE THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE WELL PREPARED TO SIT FOR THE NEW ADMINISTRATION OF THAT EXAMINATION.

AND THE TEAM IS WORKING TO MAKE SURE THE PROGRESSION OF SKILLS AND CONTENT IS IN ORDER, WHILE EXPLORING HOW HIGHER ORDER QUESTIONING AND STUDENT ENGAGEMENT CAN IMPACT CRITICAL THINKING AND SUCCESS.

AND THAT'S ALL I HAVE THIS EVENING.

I DID ATTEND, I WILL SAY, THE NEW YORK STATE, NEW YORK STATE COMPUTERS AND TECHNOLOGY REGIONAL CONFERENCE LAST WEEKEND WHERE, YOU KNOW, EVERYONE FROM PEOPLE FROM NEW YORK STATE CAME TOGETHER TO THINK DEEPLY ABOUT HOW TECHNOLOGY CAN ENRICH AND ENHANCE EDUCATION AND NOT CERTAINLY NOT SUPPLANT IT.

IT WAS VERY IT WAS WONDERFUL, MEANINGFUL, AMAZING WORKSHOPS, LOTS OF IT ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, BUT ALSO HOW TECHNOLOGY CAN SUPPORT ALL STUDENTS IN THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS.

SO THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THAT.

IT WAS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY.

THANK YOU.

NEXT WE HAVE EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS UPDATE ON HUMAN RESOURCES AND LEADERSHIP.

YES. GOOD EVENING EVERYBODY.

WE HAD A WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING LAST WEEK.

AS DR. CHAMP MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, LATER ON IN THE AGENDA, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE SOME SUPERINTENDENTS, PERSONNEL RECOMMENDATIONS.

ONE OF THE ONES I DO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT IS WE WERE ABLE TO SECURE A MIDDLE SCHOOL ENGLISH LEAVE REPLACEMENT AS OF TODAY, SO THAT'S PRETTY EXCITING ON OUR PART AS WE CONTINUE TO FILL SOME, SOME LEAVE REPLACEMENTS.

I THINK OF NOTABLE TO CELEBRATE REALLY IS THE RETIREMENTS.

[00:25:05]

AND I THINK THAT THAT'S GOING TO BE A REAL BIG HIT TO THE DISTRICT, BECAUSE THEY HAVE NOT ONLY HAVE BEEN INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS IN THEIR BUILDINGS WITH STUDENTS, BUT THEY'VE ALSO HELPED MENTOR A LOT OF OUR NEW TEACHERS.

SO IT'S GOING TO BE HARD, I THINK, TO PART WAYS AT THE END OF THE YEAR.

BUT CONGRATULATIONS GOES OUT TO MR. CHIMENTO, A MIDDLE SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHER, MR. FRIEL, MIDDLE SCHOOL MATH TEACHER.

MR. KELLY, A HIGH SCHOOL SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER.

MR. PENA, A HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHER.

MR. SCHLEIFER, A HIGH SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHER.

AND MRS. SIDER, HUTCHINSON FOURTH GRADE TEACHER.

THEY ARE NOW ADDED TO OUR LIST FROM LAST TIME AND WE WISH THEM ALL THE BEST, BUT WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO TAPPING INTO ALL OF THEIR KNOWLEDGE AS WE CONTINUE OUT THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.

AND THE OTHER THING TO NOTE, YOU KNOW, AS WE'RE GETTING INTO SORT OF THE CELEBRATORY PART OF DECEMBER AND THE HOLIDAY SEASON, IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT WE DO HAVE A BOARD OF EDUCATION POLICY AROUND GIFT GIVING.

AND PART OF THAT POLICY REALLY TALKS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF WAYS TO SHOW APPRECIATION, BUT ONE OF THEM IS THROUGH WRITTEN NOTES AND GREETING CARDS.

AND WE DO ENCOURAGE STUDENTS AND FAMILIES TO SHOW THEIR APPRECIATION THAT WAY.

WE'RE REALLY BLESSED TO BE HERE IN PELHAM, WHERE WE HAVE SUCH A GENEROUS AND SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY.

BUT IT'S ALSO WE NEED TO KEEP IN MIND THAT, YOU KNOW, MUNICIPAL LAW REALLY DOES REQUIRE THAT GIFTS TO ANY STAFF MEMBER OR PUBLIC EMPLOYEE IS $75 OR LESS.

WE ARE REQUIRED IF THEY EXCEED $75, THEN EITHER WE NEED TO RETURN THEM OR DONATE THEM TO A CHARITY.

SO IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE DONE EVERY YEAR.

ALL STAFF AND EMPLOYEES HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED, JUST AS A REMINDER THIS TIME OF YEAR.

BUT IT'S ALSO GREAT TO REMIND THE COMMUNITY THAT WE ARE EXTREMELY THANKFUL FOR THEIR GENEROSITY AND SUPPORT, AND THAT WE JUST DO HAVE TO FOLLOW A LITTLE BIT OF THE LAW WHEN IT COMES TO THAT. GIVEN HOW EVERYTHING HAS GOT MORE EXPENSIVE.

DO WE WANT TO LIKE, BUMP UP THAT 75 SO IT'S A MUNICIPAL LAW.

CARDS AS SORT OF AN ALTERNATIVE.

AND, YOU KNOW, I'LL SAY AS BEING A BUILDING PRINCIPAL, THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT YOU DO HOLD ON TO IN A BOX OR SOME OF THOSE BEAUTIFUL CARDS AND NOTES THAT THAT STUDENTS AND FAMILIES WRITE TO YOU, BECAUSE THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT YOU CAN GO BACK TO AND READ OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND REMIND YOU OF THE DIFFERENCE YOU'RE MAKING.

BUT I DO RECOGNIZE THAT, YOU KNOW, FAMILIES AND STUDENTS DO LIKE TO TO DO GIFT GIVING BECAUSE THEY ARE THEY ARE GENEROUS AND THEY ARE VERY SUPPORTIVE OF OUR STAFF AND OUR FACULTY. BUT WE DO HAVE TO FOLLOW THE LAW, WHICH IS THE $75 RULE.

THANK YOU.

NEXT IS ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENTS UPDATE ON FACILITIES AND SUSTAINABLE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS.

HI. GOOD EVENING.

JUST WANT TO GO OVER A FEW THINGS IN THIS EVENING'S MEETING.

WE'RE ASKING THE BOARD TO APPROVE TWO, TWO PARTICULAR ITEMS. ONE IS ON A REVISED RISK ASSESSMENT.

THIS IS WITH OUR INTERNAL AUDITORS, AS WE'VE SHARED PREVIOUSLY.

BY STATE LAW WE'RE REQUIRED TO HAVE A RISK ASSESSMENT EVERY YEAR AND TWO INTERNAL AUDITS.

THE REVISED AGREEMENT THAT YOU SEE HERE IS REALLY BASED ON THE DETAILED TESTING THAT WAS DISCUSSED AS PART OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE.

SO THIS JUST FINALIZES THAT WORK.

AND WE EXPECT THAT INTERNAL AUDITOR TO BEGIN THEIR WORK IN THE DECEMBER TIME FRAME.

SO ONCE THAT WORK IS COMPLETED, IT'S THEN REVIEWED BY OUR AUDIT COMMITTEE AFTER IT'S COMPLETED, THE REVIEW BY THE AUDIT COMMITTEE THEN IT'S BROUGHT TO THE FULL BOARD.

ONCE IT'S COMPLETE, REVIEWED BY THE FULL BOARD OR ACCEPTED BY THE FULL BOARD, THEN ALL OF THESE AUDIT REPORTS END UP ON OUR WEB PAGE, WHICH WE HAVE.

IF YOU WERE TO LOOK ON THE BUSINESS OFFICE WEB PAGE, YOU'D SEE MANY, MANY AUDITS AND CORRECTIVE ACTION PLANS AS REQUIRED, ALL PART OF THE ROSLIN EXPERIENCE FROM YEARS AGO. IF YOU WATCHED THE MOVIE BAD EDUCATION, WE CAN, WE CAN.

THIS IS REALLY THE GENESIS OF WHERE ALL THIS COMES FROM.

ALSO ON THE AGENDA THIS EVENING IS AN ITEM TO ENTER AN AGREEMENT WITH A COMPANY CALLED BUS PATROL.

BUS PATROL IS A COMPANY THAT PROVIDES STOP ARM CAMERAS RELATED TO STOP ARM CAMERA ENFORCEMENT ON SCHOOL BUSSES.

AND YOU'RE PROBABLY SAYING TO YOURSELF, WAIT A MINUTE, JIM PELHAM DOESN'T HAVE SCHOOL BUSSES.

YOU'RE RIGHT, WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF IN DISTRICT BUSSES, BUT WE DO WE DO HAVE ABOUT 22 YELLOW BUSSES THAT TRANSPORT PELHAM STUDENTS EVERY DAY.

AND WHAT WE WORK WITH OUR CONSORTIUM DISTRICTS BRONXVILLE, EASTCHESTER AND TUCKAHOE.

AND WHAT WE DO IS WE, WE SHARE THE COST OF THAT BUSSING TO SEND OUR STUDENTS TO DISTRICTS OUTSIDE OF DISTRICT OR EVEN OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS WITHIN DISTRICT.

[00:30:08]

WHAT WE'D THEN BE ABLE TO DO IS BUS PATROL WORKING WITH WESTCHESTER COUNTY HAS BEEN ABLE TO PUT THIS PROGRAM TOGETHER THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY, WHICH OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS HAVE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF.

AND WE CAN THEN THROUGH THE STOP ARM CAMERAS, THEY CAN THEN ENFORCE KIND OF LIKE TRAFFIC LIGHT CAMERAS, WHICH PEOPLE ARE VERY FAMILIAR WITH.

THEY'D BE ENFORCED IN A VERY SIMILAR, SIMILAR WAY TO THAT.

NATIONALLY, 45 MILLION SCHOOL BUSSES ARE PASSED EVERY YEAR.

SO AND I'M SURE MANY OF US HAVE SEEN IT HAPPEN.

IT MAKES YOUR HEART SKIP A BEAT WHEN YOU DO SEE IT.

SO AGAIN, THE INTENT OF THIS IS REALLY TO BE AS SAFE AS WE CAN AND PROTECT ALL OF OUR STUDENTS.

SO THAT'S THAT'S WHAT THIS DOES.

AGAIN, THIS DOESN'T ADD A COST TO THE DISTRICT.

THIS DOESN'T INCLUDE A COST TO OUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT.

THEY'RE NOT REQUIRED TO FILL OUT TICKETS OR TO WRITE ANY SUMMONSES.

THIS IS ALL COVERED AT THE COUNTY LEVEL.

THE ONLY TIME WHERE IT WOULD TOUCH THE LOCAL LEVEL IS IF SOMEBODY WERE TO CONTEST A TICKET, AND IT WOULD HAVE TO GO TO THE LOCAL TOWN COURT.

SO AGAIN, IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT WHERE THAT IMPACT IS, THAT WOULD BE THE THAT'S THAT'S THE IMPACT WHERE WE'VE BEEN TOLD WHERE IT WOULD BE, WHERE IT WOULD BE HAD SO IT'S THE ONE SPOT. AND I THINK AT THE SAFETY COMMITTEE WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT THIS IN SAFETY COMMITTEE, WHAT WAS THE STATISTIC IT WAS LIKE AFTER THE FIRST TICKET THERE ARE 80 THERE'S NO SECOND TICKETS OR LIKE ONLY 80% OR 80%.

VERY LITTLE RECIDIVISM.

YEAH, EXACTLY.

IT'S NOT IT'S NOT A FUN TICKET.

IT'S IT CAN BE COSTLY.

SO AGAIN, THIS IS AND AGAIN THROUGH THESE CAMERAS IT'S A NO POINT TICKET.

SO AGAIN ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE IT'S A LESS WORSE ALTERNATIVE.

AND AGAIN IT'S ABOUT KEEPING OUR STUDENTS SAFE.

WE'RE WORKING ON OUR BUDGET AND WE'RE TRYING TO GET AS MUCH DETAIL AS WE CAN.

AS DR. CHAMP MENTIONED, THE ROCKEFELLER INSTITUTE HAS COME OUT WITH THEIR REPORT.

WE'RE ALL WAITING FOR THE FOR THE BREAKDOWN.

INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE BEEN HEARING IS ABOUT THE ECONOMIC STATUS OF THE STATE.

SO THE SAYING IT'S ABOUT $1 BILLION DEFICIT RIGHT NOW, WHICH IN STATE TERMS IS GOOD NEWS.

THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE.

IT'S LESS WORSE THAN WHAT THEY THOUGHT IT WOULD BE.

SO WE'RE GOING TO TAKE THAT AS OPTIMISTIC NEWS RIGHT NOW.

THE YEAR IS NOT YET CLOSED.

NOT YET FINISHED. AND THEY'RE STILL CLOSING THAT BUDGET GAP.

SO AT THIS POINT IN TIME AGAIN, I THINK AS DR.

CHAMP SAID, WE'RE NOT HEARING A LOT OF DOOM AND GLOOM AS FAR AS THE STATE BUDGET GOES.

AND IT'S WE DON'T WANT TO SAY IT'S GOOD BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO SAY DON'T WANT TO RUIN ANYTHING, BUT WE'RE FOLLOWING THIS CLOSELY.

WE HAD TWO GOOD FINANCING FACILITY MEETINGS AND THOSE WILL CONTINUE.

WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO MEET AT LEAST AT LEAST MONTHLY FOR THOSE COMMITTEE MEETINGS.

IF WE NEED TO MEET MORE FREQUENTLY I THINK THE COMMITTEES HAVE ALL AGREED THAT WE WILL MEET MORE FREQUENTLY AS PART OF BOND FEASIBILITY AND PROJECT SCOPING.

I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SIT IN ON A NYMTC MEETING THIS WEEK.

NYMTC STANDS FOR NEW YORK METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION COUNCIL.

I DIDN'T HAVE THAT AT THE LAST MEETING, SO I WROTE IT DOWN.

AND WHAT THEY DID IS THEY SHARED SOME OF THE WORK THAT THEY'VE BEEN DOING REGARDING THE THE INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS OR RECOMMENDED CONCEPTS OF IMPROVEMENT AT COLONIAL AND COLONIAL, SANFORD, AND WOLFS LANE.

SO WHAT THEY'RE DOING IS THEY'RE TRYING TO PLAN A WORKSHOP MODEL OF IN EARLY JANUARY WITH, WITH PELHAM AND MOUNT VERNON.

AGAIN ON THIS MEETING TODAY WE HAD REPRESENTATIVES FROM NEW YORK STATE, CITY OF MOUNT VERNON, WESTCHESTER COUNTY, VILLAGE OF PELHAM MANOR AND TOWN OF PELHAM, SO AND VILLAGE OF PELHAM REPRESENTATIVES HAVE BEEN ON PREVIOUS CALLS SO AND THE TWO REPRESENTATIVES OF THE TOWN.

SO WE'VE GOT GREAT PARTICIPATION.

EVERYBODY REALLY WANTS IS IN POINTED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

AGAIN, RIGHT NOW WE'RE IN THE WORKSHOP MODEL.

ONCE WE GET TO A NEXT MODEL, THEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT ENGINEERING STUDIES, FUNDING AND FINALLY IMPLEMENTATION.

SO HARD PART WILL PROBABLY SEE IS EVERYBODY HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS FOR A LONG TIME.

WE REALLY WANT TO SEE SOME IMPROVEMENTS.

THEY'RE COMING. BUT I WE OF COURSE I THINK WE'RE EAGER TO SEE THEM SOONER RATHER THAN LATER.

AND THEN LAST BUT NOT LEAST AT THE END OF THIS WEEK, PELHAM MANOR VILLAGE OF PELHAM MANOR POLICE CHIEF ATKINS IS RETIRING AFTER 39 YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE PELHAM MANOR COMMUNITY.

HE'S BEEN A GREAT PARTNER TO THE PELHAM SCHOOL DISTRICT.

AT THIS POINT IN TIME, REALLY JUST WANT TO TAKE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PUBLICLY THANK CHIEF ATKINS FOR HIS PARTNERSHIP AND AND HOW HE'S WORKED SO DILIGENTLY ON LOOKING AFTER OUR STUDENTS AND OUR COMMUNITY.

SO WE'VE BEEN VERY LUCKY TO HAVE HIM.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

OKAY. 5.1, WE DON'T HAVE DO WE HAVE ANY COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC?

[5. Communications and Comments from the Public]

[00:35:07]

[6. Financial Reports and Motions]

I SECOND. OKAY.

IS JIM, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANTED? I THINK YOU REVIEWED THE AUDIT REPORT.

BUS PATROL.

I CAN SPEAK TO THE THE FOURTH ITEM THERE.

OKAY. THANK YOU. THIS WAS JUST A CONTINUATION OF AN MOA THAT WE HAD IN PLACE WITH THE TEACHERS UNION.

JUST GIVES US A VEHICLE TO PAY THEM IF THEY'RE ASSISTING WITH SUPERVISION OF EVENTS, EVENING EVENTS.

OKAY. ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ANY OPPOSED? OKAY. I'LL TAKE A MOTION TO 6.5.

A MOTION TO ACCEPT A DONATION.

SO MOVED. SECOND, AND JUST A REAL QUICK QUESTION TO JIM ON THIS.

I SEE YOU'RE THE LAST ONE THAT MODIFIED.

SO I'M HOPING YOU KNOW THE ANSWER.

YES. DO YOU I DON'T SEE IN THE RESOLUTION THE THE DONOR.

SO WE'VE HAD MULTIPLE DONORS FOR THIS.

SO WE FOLLOWED A MODEL THAT WE USED PRIOR YEARS WHERE WE HAVE MULTIPLE DONORS.

WHO WAS THIS? THE FUNDRAISER.

THIS WAS THE FUNDRAISER? YES.

SO WE'RE THANKING ALL OF THOSE WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE FUNDRAISER.

PERFECT. THANK YOU.

OKAY. YES.

THANK YOU. OKAY, SO THIS IS FOR DONATION.

THE FUNDRAISING FOR THE THE THE MUSICIAN TRIP TO NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE THAT'S OCCURRING ON MARCH 13TH, 13TH- 16TH. CAN I CAN I SAY ONE THING ABOUT IT? I JUST WANT TO THANK MR. VEHBI FOR INITIATING THIS, BECAUSE I THINK THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT THE MUSIC DEPARTMENT PUT TOGETHER A FUNDRAISER TO HELP FUND THE TRIP FOR...

I BELIEVE SO, AND I KNOW HE WAS, HE DID SOME WORK TO TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN AND THEY FAR I THINK THEY THEY EXCEEDED THEIR, THEIR GOAL. SO YEAH, THE MUSIC DEPARTMENT IS LUCKY TO HAVE HIM BECAUSE HE REALLY IS IS DEDICATED TO BRINGING THE KIDS ON THESE TRIPS.

THEY'RE ARE A LOT OF FUN, BUT AND THEY WIN A LOT OF AWARDS ON THESE TRIPS, THEY REALLY HAVE A GREAT TIME.

SO I'M EXCITED FOR THEM.

WEST SF IS THE SAME WEEKEND I THINK.

SO, YEAH IT IS.

YES IT IS. A COUPLE OF THINGS GOING ON BUT YEAH, YEAH.

BUT THE KIDS ARE EXCITED.

I'M VERY THANKFUL THAT THEY ALLOW FRESHMANS TO GO.

YEAH. YEAH.

SO AND THE ORCHESTRA IS GOING YEAH.

WHICH IS A BIG DEAL TOO.

SO THE ORCHESTRA BAND I FORGET WHICH GROUPS I KNOW THERE'S, I DON'T KNOW, CHAMBER CHORUS AND THE CHAMBER CHORUS.

CHAMBER CHORUS. YEAH.

ORCHESTRA AND JAZZ BAND.

YES. MAYBE.

I MAY GET THAT WRONG, BUT THERE'S REPRESENTATIVES FROM A LOT OF KIDS GOING.

YEAH. AWESOME.

I'M SURE IT'LL BE FUN.

SO BE IT.

RESOLVED THAT UPON THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS, THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE PELHAM PELHAM UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT DOES HEREBY ACCEPT DONATIONS TOTALING $24,080 TO THE PMHS MUSICIANS TO OFFSET THE COST TO ATTEND A TRAVEL STUDY TRIP TO NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE ON MARCH 13TH THROUGH TO MARCH 16TH, 2025.

SO THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO DONATED.

ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ANY OPPOSED? NO. OKAY.

[7. Policy Monitoring & Governance]

IT'S THE SECOND READING OF POLICY 5574, OUR MEDICAID COMPLIANCE PROGRAM.

WE DID THE FIRST READING AT OUR LAST.

YES. AT OUR LAST BOARD MEETING WE DID, AND THERE WAS NO FEEDBACK AND NO CHANGES, NO FEEDBACK AND NO CHANGES.

SO SHOULD WE WAIVE? IT'S UP TO THE BOARD. IF YOU WANT TO WAIVE THE THIRD READING AND GO AHEAD AND APPROVE TONIGHT, WE CAN DO THAT.

AND I WOULD SAY THIS IS JUST A REMINDER THAT THIS IS A POLICY THAT'S REQUIRED.

BUT WE DON'T ACTUALLY SUBMIT FOR MEDICAID REIMBURSEMENT.

SO THIS WAS DRAFTED BY OUR LEGAL COUNSEL SUCH THAT IF WE EVER DID, WE WOULD HAVE A POLICY IN PLACE THAT'S COMPLIANT.

DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY? I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY THAT SINCE WE DON'T DO IT, IT'S PROBABLY RIPE FOR NOT HAVING A THIRD READING.

YES. YES. YEAH I AGREE.

YEAH. SO THEN WE NEED A MOTION TO WAIVE AND THEN A MOTION TO.

OKAY. TWO MOTIONS. OKAY.

DO I HAVE A DO I HAVE A MOTION TO WAIVE THE THIRD READING FOR THE MEDICAID COMPLIANCE PROGRAM.

SO MOVED. SECOND.

ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MEDICAID COMPLIANCE PROGRAM POLICY?

[00:40:05]

ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. I DON'T KNOW IF THE CHAIR OF THIS POLICY COMMITTEE IS JUST CRANKING THIS YEAR.

OKAY. ALL RIGHT.

WONDERFUL. WE ARE PASSING POLICIES AT A RATE THAT HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE.

IT'S A RAPID PACE.

ALL RIGHT, THAT MEANS WE GOT TO COME TO YOU AT THE NEXT MEETING WITH A WHOLE NEW SLEW OF POLICIES, A WHOLE DOCKET OF POLICIES.

WE NEED TO UPDATE OUR DASHBOARD TOO.

SO, VALERIE, YOU DON'T HAVE TO ADD UP HOW MANY POLICIES WE'VE PASSED SO FAR THIS YEAR.

SO WE CAN UPDATE.

RIGHT? WE CAN. YEAH, WE CAN KEEP A RUNNING TALLY TRACKER.

VERY GOOD. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

OKAY. DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE 8.1 TO 8.4.

[8. Superintendent's Personnel Recommendations]

DO WE DO WE HAVE ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS ON THESE? I THINK WE TALKED. DR.

FITZGERALD ANYTHING TO ADD? I THINK WE TALKED ABOUT THESE.

WE TALKED ABOUT MOST OF THESE. YEAH.

OKAY. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE.

ANY OPPOSED? NO.

OKAY. I'LL TAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE A SCHEDULE D.

[9. Pupil Personnel Services]

SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE.

ANY OPPOSED? NO.

OKAY. NO.

[10. New Business]

DOES ANYONE HAVE NEW BUSINESS? NOPE. OKAY.

SO I WILL TAKE A MOTION TO ADJOURN.

SO MOVED.

SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. THANK YOU.

ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU.

THANKS SO MUCH EVERYBODY.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.