Jun 30, 2025 June 30, 2025 - Business Meeting

[00:00:01]

THANK YOU. WELCOME TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING OF JUNE 30TH, 2025.

[1. Public Session - 6:30 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.

SO THANKS. OKAY. HAPPY SUMMER EVERYONE. THIS IS A BRIEF BUSINESS MEETING TO ADDRESS SEVERAL END OF YEAR ITEMS REQUIRED REQUIRING BOARD APPROVAL. ONE IMPORTANT ITEM TO NOTE IS THE RESIGNATION OF FARID JOHNSON PRINCIPAL OF SIWANOY SCHOOL, FOR PERSONAL REASONS. WE ARE INITIATING A SEARCH FOR A NEW PRINCIPAL FOR SIWANOY SCHOOL, AND EXTEND OUR SINCERE THANKS TO SUSAN KRAMER GILBERT FOR AGREEING TO CONTINUE IN THE INTERIM UNTIL SOMEONE IS IN PLACE.

AND WHILE THERE IS URGENCY TO APPOINT A NEW PRINCIPAL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE OR AS CLOSE TO THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR AS POSSIBLE, WE ARE EQUALLY COMMITTED TO ENSURING WE FIND THE RIGHT PERSON FOR THE ROLE.

DOCTOR FITZGERALD WILL TAKE A FEW MOMENTS DURING THIS MEETING TO OUTLINE THE HIRING PROCESS, AND I WANT TO REASSURE EVERYONE THAT, AS WITH ALL DISTRICT LEADERSHIP HIRES, THE PROCESS WILL BE THOROUGH AND INCLUDE INPUT FROM KEY COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS AS WELL AS THE BOARD OF EDUCATION. OKAY. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT.

WE CAN GET STARTED. I DO HAVE A MOTION TO TAKE 2.1 TO 2.4 AS A CONSENT AGENDA.

[2. Approval of Minutes]

ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. AND OPPOSE? SO THOSE ARE APPROVED.

WE HAVE NO COMMUNICATIONS OR COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC.

[3. Communications and Comments from the Public]

[4. Financial Reports and Motions]

OUR ATTORNEY, OUR AUDITORS POSITION, ITEM 4.3 IS THE SECOND HALF TO BOTH THE SERVICES PROVIDED BY BOCES THAT WAS APPROVED AT THE LAST BOARD MEETING WE HAVE WE RECEIVED THE SECOND HALF OF THAT WHICH IS CONSISTENT WITH OUR WITH OUR BUDGET AS AS WE STARTED THE YEAR.

EDS EDUCATIONAL DATA SERVICES IS A COOPERATIVE PURCHASING SERVICE THAT WE USE EVERY YEAR.

AND THEN AN EXTENSION WITH OUR BUS COMPANY. AND ALTHOUGH OUR BUILDINGS ARE USED EXTENSIVELY BY OUR COMMUNITY GROUPS, MAINLY RECREATION AND OUR PTAS FROM TIME TO TIME, THERE ARE OUTSIDE GROUPS THAT DO UTILIZE OUR FACILITIES.

AND EVERY YEAR WE UPDATE OUR BUILDING USAGE FEES.

THEY'VE BEEN INCREASED BY CPI. LAST YEAR'S RATES TIMES CPI.

SO IF YOU'RE ASKING THE BASIS UPON WHICH THAT CAME, THAT'S THAT WAS THE BASIS THAT WE USED.

AND THEN WE HAVE A MOTION TO DISPOSE OF EQUIPMENT AT THE LAST MEETING. I THINK I SHARED OUR NEW VEHICLES WERE WERE IN AND WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF REGISTERING THEM.

AND THEN WE WILL BE DISPOSING OF A SUBURBAN OF 2000 SUBURBAN AND 2001 VAN AS WELL AS A TRACTOR.

SO WE GOT A NICE QUARTER CENTURY OUT OF OUT OF THOSE PIECES OF EQUIPMENT.

SO WE'RE, WE'LL BE HAPPY TO SEE THEM GO AS WELL.

YES. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. OKAY. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. AND OPPOSED TO THOSE MOTIONS ALL CARRY WE CAN MOVE TO 5.1.

[5.1 Policy 6161 - Conference/Travel Expense Reimbursement (Second Reading)]

DO WE HAVE ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS ON THIS? THIS IS SORT OF A TRANSITION TO INSTEAD OF SIMPLIFIED.

YES, YES. SIMPLIFIED REIMBURSEMENT. THE ONE PIECE OF FEEDBACK I GOT WAS FROM ONE OF THE CLERK IN OUR OFFICE.

WHO SAID THANK YOU. YES. SHE WAS. WAIT, WAIT, WHAT? I WAS THRILLED. I JUST THINK IT'LL STREAMLINE OUR PROCESSES SIGNIFICANTLY, SO.

WELL. SO I DO THANK THE BOARD FOR CONSIDERING THIS APPROACH.

OKAY. SO WE COULD WOULD YOU LIKE TO ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO WAIVE THE THIRD READING AND HAVE THE POLICY APPROVED? SURE. SO MOVED.

ON THE WAVE OF THE THIRD READING. OKAY. WE'RE DOING IT SEPARATELY.

OKAY. DO A MOTION. VALERIE SAYS WE COULD DO IT.

OH, WE CAN DO IT TOGETHER. OKAY, THEN THAT'S FINE. I'M HAPPY SEPARATELY. SO WE HAVE A MOTION TO WAIVE THE THIRD READING FOR POLICY

[00:05:08]

CONGRATULATIONS [INAUDIBLE] . THAT WAS NUMBER 45.

[LAUGHTER] WELL DONE. JUST IN TIME. THAT'S RIGHT.

RIGHT UNDER THE WIRE. VERY GOOD. WE NEED YOU TO GET YOU THAT THERMOMETER FILLER THING SO WE CAN JUST COLOR IT IN AND PUT IT BEHIND YOU OR SOMETHING.

RIGHT. OKAY. DO I HAVE A MOTION TO TAKE? 6.1 AND 6.2 IS A CONSENT AGENDA.

[6. Superintendent's Personnel Recommendations]

DOCTOR FITZGERALD, DO YOU WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO TALK ABOUT.

YES. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT. YEAH. SO WHEN WE WERE HERE LAST WEEK, I MENTIONED THAT ALL OF OUR TEACHER VACANCIES WERE FILLED, AND WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT. SO WE WILL BE FOCUSING THIS SUMMER ON FILLING THE SIWANOY PRINCIPAL VACANCY.

AS YOU MENTIONED EARLIER. WE WANT TO FILL THAT BEFORE SEPTEMBER, AS CLOSE TO SEPTEMBER AS POSSIBLE, BUT WE WANT TO FILL IT WITH THE RIGHT PERSON.

SO WHILE WE WILL GO THROUGH ALL OF OUR STEPS, IF WE DON'T FIND THE RIGHT PRINCIPAL, WE WILL START OVER AND WE WILL DO IT UNTIL WE DO FIND THE THE RIGHT PRINCIPAL FOR THE SIWANOY SCHOOL.

THE FIRST THING WE'RE GOING TO START WITH IS CREATING A LEADERSHIP PROFILE FOR WHICH WE WILL MEASURE ALL OF THE CANDIDATES AGAINST. THAT WILL REQUIRE A SURVEY.

GOING OUT TO ALL THE STAKEHOLDERS. TO FAMILIES.

TO STAFF. TO ADMINISTRATORS. THEN I'LL BE RUNNING FOCUS GROUPS WITH STAFF AND WITH FAMILIES, AND THEN TAKING ALL OF THAT DATA TO COME UP WITH WHAT IS OUR LEADERSHIP PROFILE? WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR IN OUR NEXT PRINCIPAL OF THE SIWANOY SCHOOL? THAT IS WHAT THE RUBRIC WILL USE TO MEASURE THE DIFFERENT CANDIDATES WHEN THEY COME TO THE STAKEHOLDER MEETING.

SO PROSPECTIVE CANDIDATES WILL COME AND THEY WILL MEET WITH A GROUP OF PARENTS.

THEY WILL MEET WITH A GROUP OF STAFF. THEY WILL MEET WITH A GROUP OF ADMINISTRATORS.

FROM THERE, WE'LL HAVE SOME KIND OF TASK FOR THEM TO DO AS WELL BEFORE THEY END UP MEETING WITH THE CABINET.

AND THEN EVENTUALLY WE'LL RECOMMEND CANDIDATES TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION.

SO THE PROCESS WILL BE LENGTHY, BUT WE FEEL BY DOING ALL OF THAT, WE'RE BETTER SET TO FIND THE PRINCIPAL THAT IS THE NEXT LEADER TO GROW THE SIWANOY SCHOOL. AND WE'LL BE SENDING A COMMUNICATION TO FAMILIES TOMORROW MORNING.

THE SIWANOY FAMILIES AND STAFF SO THAT THEY HAVE THE OUTLINE, THE PROCESS OUTLINED.

AND I BELIEVE THAT COMMUNICATION WILL INCLUDE THE SURVEY.

SO WE CAN START COLLECTING THAT INFORMATION RIGHT AWAY. RIGHT, EXACTLY.

YEAH. ANY QUESTIONS? NO. OKAY. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE, AYE.

AND OPPOSED TO THOSE CARRY. DO I HAVE A 7.1 A MOTION TO APPROVE A SCHEDULE D?

[7.1 Motion to Approve Schedule D - Committee on Special Education (Confidential)]

OKAY. 10.1. DO I HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? SO MOVED.

SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. THANK YOU, EVERYONE.

THANK YOU FOR THAT. THANK YOU. WE THANK YOU FOR COMING IN. GETTING THIS BUSINESS DONE REALLY DOES HELP US APPRECIATE IT.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.