I. Opening of Meeting

Transcription

1 Board of Education Meeting Minutes January 21, 2015 Regular Meeting of the Board of Education Of the Bethlehem Central School District held at Glenmont Elementary School 328 Route 9W, Glenmont, NY Members Present: Mrs. Beck, Mr. Cooper, Ms. Cunningham (7:33 p.m.), Mr. Downey, Mrs. Giacone-Stever, Mrs. Lenhardt, and Dr. Wijeyesinghe. Members Absent: None Others Present: Dr. DeAngelo, Dr. Douglas, Mrs. Johnston, Mrs. Kehoe, Ms. Monroe, and visitors. I. Opening of Meeting II. III. A. Call to Order The meeting was called to order by Mr. Downey at 5:30 p.m. B. Adjourn to Executive Session It was moved by Mrs. Lenhardt, seconded by Dr. Wijeyesinghe and passed unanimously to move to Executive Session at 5:30 p.m. to discuss anticipated negotiations of the collective bargaining agreement between the District and the Bethlehem Principal s Association. Present at Executive Session: Mrs. Beck, Mr. Cooper, Ms. Cunningham, Mr. Downey, Mrs. Giacone-Stever, Mrs. Lenhardt, Dr. Wijeyesinghe, Dr. DeAngelo, Dr. Douglas, Mrs. Johnston, Mrs. Kehoe, and Ms. Monroe. C. Reconvene Meeting to Open Session The regular meeting was reconvened by Mr. Downey at 7:06 p.m. D. Pledge of Allegiance Approval of Minutes A. It was moved by Mrs. Giacone Stever, seconded by Mrs. Lenhardt and passed unanimously to approve the minutes of the January 7, 2015, Regular Board Meeting. Student Senate Report Shelsea Cato, Student Senate President, informed the Board of Education, Administration and community members on the following events that Student Senate is working on. First, the Snowball dance is scheduled for Friday, February 7 th at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are on presale, with $ needing to be raised by the week prior to the event. This is due to the continued issue with low attendance. The Senate have brainstormed initiatives on how to bump up participation, and how that guest student DJ s will be a big hit at the dance. Furthermore, the Senate has scheduled the next open forum for student discussion on February 25 th at 2:07 p.m. in room D122. In addition, the group is starting the planning process for the 2015 Mr. Bethlehem, and a community event. Dr. Wijeyesinghe inquired about the pulse of the high school with Regents Exams starting the following week. Ms. Cato explained that she can tell that her peers are stressed out; using free periods to study rather than going off campus or eating lunch. She noted that seniors are still concerned based on the fact that some colleges require midyear grades for college admission, and freshman are new * AN EXECUTIVE SESSION OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION MAY BE CONVENED UPON MAJORITY VOTE OF ITS TOTAL MEMBERSHIP TAKEN IN AN OPEN MEETING PURSUANT TO A MOTION IDENTIFYING THE GENERAL AREA OR AREAS OR THE SUBJECT OR SUBJECTS TO BE CONSIDERED. (BOARD POLICY 2.2.9)

2 Board of Education Meeting Minutes January 21, 2015 Page 2 IV. and unsure of what to expect. Overall, the stressors of college acceptance is filtering down to the lower grades and increasing the anxiety for doing well on exams. Superintendent s Report Before turning over the floor to Dr. Douglas, President Downey first wanted to thank the Glenmont administration and staff for hosting the Board meeting at their school. Dr. Douglas started his Board report by noting some follow up information in regards to the National Grid Power Station request to the Town of Bethlehem. He noted that they will no longer be able to attend out February 4 th meeting, but an open house is currently scheduled at the Town for February 18 th. Additional information will be sent out via SNN once we obtain details. Dr. Douglas then gave an overview of what the State of the State address given by Governor Cuomo may mean for school districts. There are a lot of unknowns as budget specific have not been released, but he emphasized that it would be the best time to advocate for our schools and education for the students at this time. Mrs. Lenhardt added to Dr. Douglas concerns, as she had attended the address that day, noting that the increase in funding would change based on a reform agenda and how those items were received by the policy and law makers. In addition, Dr. Douglas wished to thank the Bethlehem Music Association (BMA) for their support, and the donation listed in the night s board action items. At that point, he called up Mr. David Norman, Music Supervisor, Mr. Alan Goldberg, BMA President, and Mrs. Leslie Cheu, Membership Chair, for a check presentation. Finally, as part of Dr. Douglas report, he asked Glenmont Principal Mrs. Laura Heffernan, ELA Supervisor Mr. Andy Baker, and Glenmont faculty members Mrs. Lauren Barrowman and Ms. Val Falco to come up and present on Writing Instruction for K-5. The presentation reviewed the K-5 approach of writing, as well as the grade 6-8, on how common core, a literacy coach and a district wide approach has shown promising strides in the area of ELA. In addition, an overview of a lesson in a 2 nd grade classroom at Glenmont Elementary was shown in a video, supported with positive feedback on the current program in place by district teachers. V. Board of Education Report Mr. Downey started the Board of Education Report by sending his condolences to Mrs. Kristen Burns, a Middle School teacher within the District, and her family on the loss of her husband the week prior. In addition, Mr. Downey added that the budget range that the District could receive from State Aid was a wide range, based on a number of initiatives the Governor is interested in getting approved. As a follow up to the conservation easement discussion at the January 7 th meeting, Mr. Downey met with Assemblywoman Fahy to discuss the need to amend the inability for New Scotland to participate in the Conservation Easement for future reconsideration by the Board to adopt in the Town of Bethlehem. And, in his final notes, Mr. Downey mentioned a meeting he had with Congressman Gibson on his Education agenda. Dr. Wijeyesinghe added to the event with Congressman Gibson in his stance on Education, where his views felt in line with the Board and Districts, adding that he felt that there is an overreliance on state testing. In addition, Dr. Wijeyesinghe wished student musicians and athletes on upcoming events.

3 Board of Education Meeting Minutes January 21, 2015 Page 3 VI. Presentation Dr. Marisa Bel, Supervisor of World Language, presented on the topic of English as a New Language program, to the Board of Education, Administration and community. This provided a comprehensive overview of legal changes put in place in September 2014 for the effective date of July 1, 2015, and how these new regulation will affect our current program and procedures. In addition, a thorough discussion followed the presentation, with additional insight into the current program and what resources we will need to accommodate the students based on the State s requirements. We currently have 61 students within the English as a New Language program, of which encompasses roughly 12 different native languages. VII. Recognition of Visitors on Any Agenda Items This time is for visitors to address any items on this agenda. No public comments were made at this time. VIII. Finance It was moved by Dr. Wijeyesinghe, seconded by Mrs. Giacone-Stever and passed unanimously to approve the following finance action items A through C: A. Claims Auditor Report The Board of Education accepted the Claims Auditor s Report for December B. Accept Donation and Approve Budget Amendment The Board of Education accepted the donation made by Elsmere Elementary PTA, to be used to defray the cost of the 2 nd and 3 rd grade field trip to the Palace Theatre, and amend the budget, as per attached. C. Accept Donation and Approve Budget Amendment The Board of Education accepted the donation made by the Bethlehem Music Association (BMA), to be used by the Music Department and amend the budget, as per attached. IX. Professional Personnel It was moved by Mrs. Giacone-Stever, seconded by Dr. Wijeyesinghe and passed unanimously to approve the following Instructional Staff action items A through E. (All appointments and payments for services are subject to out possession of proper certification and transcripts substantiating credits and diplomas and a notice from the Commissioner of Education that (s)he is fully cleared for employment.) A. Name: Hannah M. Straw 1.0 Long Term Substitute - Elementary Teacher Building: Hamagrael Elementary Substitute Start Date: January 5, 2015 Substitute End Date: March 27, 2015 Daily Rate: $ BA Step 1 Education: BS College of Saint Rose Childhood Education MS College of Saint Rose Literacy (Birth-Grade 6) Certification Status: Early Childhood Education (Birth-Grade 2) Literacy (Birth-Grade 6) Childhood Education (Grades 1-6) Students with Disabilities (Grades 1-6) Maternity Leave of Khalan Micieli

4 Board of Education Meeting Minutes January 21, 2015 Page 4 B. Name: Kristin L. Armstrong 1.0 Science Teacher Middle School Effective Date: April 20, 2015 through June 26, 2015 Type of Leave: Maternity Leave C. Name: Khalan M. Micieli Elementary Teacher Hamagrael Elementary School Effective Date: January 5, 2015 through March 27, 2015 Type of Leave: Change of Date with Maternity Leave D. Continuing Education Spring 2015 The Board of Education approved the following Continuing Education revision for the Spring 2015 program: Stephen Smith SAT Review Verbal 5 classes, $150 per class, plus $18.99 for an updated review book. E. Interscholastic Coaching Change for Fall The Board of Education approved the following interscholastic coaching resignation: 1. Adrienne Emery Girls JV Tennis Head Coach Resignation for personal reasons X. Support Personnel It was moved by Dr. Wijeyesinghe, seconded by Mrs. Giacone-Stever and passed unanimously to approve the following Support Staff action items A through I. (All appointments and payments for services are subject to out possession of proper certification and transcripts substantiating credits and diplomas and a notice from the Commissioner of Education, that (s)he is fully cleared for employment.) A. Name: Kathy Haege 12 Month Secretary I Years of Service: 33 years Correction of years of service for retirement B. Name: Denise Flansburg 10 Month School Monitor (Bus Attendant) Step 4 of Salary Grade 3-1, $ 13, annual salary, $ 8, prorated Hours Per Day: 4 hours per day Effective Date: December 22, 2014 Correction of prorated salary C. Name: John Yanni Building Maintenance Helper O& M Department Step 1 of Salary Grade 7, $ 35,865 annual salary, $ 15, prorated Hours Per Day: 8 hours per day Effective Date January 22, 2015 Retirement of Joseph Ryan

5 Board of Education Meeting Minutes January 21, 2015 Page 5 D. Name: Rodney Schanz 12 Month Custodial Worker Glenmont Elementary & Transportation Dept. Step 1 of Salary Grade 7, $35,865 annual salary, $ 14, prorated Hours Per Day: 8 hours per day Effective Date February 2, 2015 Retirement of Josephine Vindittie E. The Board of Education approved the attached list of Transportation Bus Drivers and Bus Attendants for the school year effective February 2, These changes are from the January 2015 bidding process. F. Name: Ronald Rodriguez 10 Month Temporary Bus Driver Step 1 of Salary Grade 6, $6, annual salary, $2, prorated Hours Per Day: 1.8 hours per day (9 hours per week) End Date: June 30, 2015 G. Name: Ruthann Mosher 10 Month Temporary School Bus Driver Step 1 of Salary Grade 6, $9, annual salary, $4, prorated Hours Per Day: 2.75 hours per day (13.75 hours per week) End Date: June 30, 2015 H. Name: Rhonda Lipuma 10 Month Temporary Bus Driver Step 1 of Salary Grade 6, $8, annual salary, $3, prorated Hours Per Day: 2.5 hours per day (12.5 hours per week) End Date: June 30, 2015 I. Name: Donna Palmer 10 Month School Monitor (Bus Attendant) Step 1 of Salary Grade 3-1, $12, annual salary, $5, prorated Hours Per Day: 4.25 hours per day (21.25 hours per week)

6 Board of Education Meeting Minutes January 21, 2015 Page 6 XI. Correspondence for Action It was moved by Mr. Cooper, seconded by Mrs. Beck and passed unanimously to approve the Correspondence for Action item A: A. Committee on Special Education/Preschool Special Education Recommendations The Board of Education approved the Committee on Special Education recommendations and the Committee on Preschool Special Education recommendations for the following meeting dates: , , , , , , , , , , , XII. Recognition of Visitors This time is for visitors to address any items not on this agenda. No public comments were made at this time. XIII. Future Meetings and Events A. Wednesday, February 4th 6:00 p.m. Anticipated Board Executive Session High School LMC 7:00 p.m. Regular Board Meeting Budget Topic: State of the School B. Wednesday, February 25th 6:00 p.m. Anticipated Board Executive Session High School LMC 7:00 p.m. Regular Board Meeting Budget Topic: Transportation, Operations and Maintenance, Technology C. Wednesday, March 4 th 6:00 p.m. Anticipated Board Executive Session High School LMC 7:00 p.m. Regular Board Meeting Budget Topic: Athletics, Special Education and Student Services XIV. Adjourn the Regular Meeting It was moved by Mrs. Lenhardt, seconded by Mrs. Giacone-Stever and passed unanimously at 8:55 p.m. to adjourn the regular meeting Respectfully Submitted, Date Approved: February 4, 2015 Brittany Barrett District Clerk