The Webutuck Board
of Education held their January 24, 2010
meeting at 7:30 p.m. in the Webutuck High School Library.
The following
Board members were present:
Dale Culver,
President
Joanne Boyd
Joseph Matteo
William McGhee
Casey Swift
Also Present:
Steven D.
Schoonmaker, Superintendent
Mary Grden, School Business Administrator
Therese Trotter,
District Clerk
Absent:
Joseph Herald
John Perotti
CALL TO ORDER
President Culver
called the business meeting of January 24,
2010 to order at 7:42 p.m.
PUBLIC COMMENT
The following are
comments made by audience members:
-Board member has missed
meetings
-Emergency lights
PRINCIPALS’ REPORTS
Jr./Sr. High School
Mr. Sauer explained
about a recent presentation on Internet Safety presented to the students. It went very well. There were two different presentations, one
for high school and one for the younger grades. The community presentation will be next
Monday night in the High School auditorium. Mr. Sauer also spoke about this will
being the last year that high school students will not come to school during
Regents’ week. Currently, there are the fewer
students taking Regents in January due mostly to not having block scheduling
any longer.
Jessica McGarry, a senior, was recognized as the Youth Honoree at
the Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast.
Jessica was recognized for her leadership and volunteer efforts. She was
awarded a $1000 scholarship.
A Board member
questioned the principal about District policy on one student posting a picture
of another student on the social network.
Discussion ensued.
SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT
The Superintendent spoke
about the Administrative Corner that was held this past Saturday. Four parents showed up and the conversation
was positive. The Annual Legislative
Breakfast is coming up on February 12th and Board members are
encouraged to attend. He commented that the
Reading Around the World program is going well.
The NYSSBA newspaper “OnBoard” had an article
on the reading program in their most recent issue. He spoke about the different
music and different foods students have had thus far. He noted that the scheduled February 21 Board
meeting falls on a holiday. The Board
will have to make a decision on if it will be rescheduled. The State Education Department gave the
cafeteria a wonderful review. The
nutritional report will be sent to us in a month. Lastly, he stated that he will meet with the
administrators to discuss budgets this Thursday and that will be an ongoing
discussion.
CONSENSUS AGENDA VOTE
Mr. Matteo made and Mrs. Swift seconded the following motion to approve the consent agenda. A consent agenda is a single vote, which approves all asterisked items. Board policy (#008a) prohibits discussion of consent agenda items. Asterisked items can be pulled from the consent agenda for discussion by any one Board member.
Ayes 5 Nays 0 The motion carried.
CLERK’S REPORT
*1. Acceptance of Financial Reports as Submitted
Mr. Matteo made and Mrs. Swift seconded the following Financial Reports as submitted.
Treasurer’s Report for the month ending December
Comprehensive Budget Status Report ending December
Comprehensive
Revenue Status Report ending December
Warrants #48-50
Ayes 5 Nays 0 The motion carried.
2. Delegations -None
3. Non-Staff Communications - None
PERSONNEL
*1. Substitute Support Staff
Appointment
Mr. Matteo made and Mrs. Swift seconded the following motion:
Upon the recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools, BE IT RESOLVED
that the Board of Education hereby approves the following Substitute Support
Staff appointment:
Plamena
Zamova Substitute
Teacher Aide/Assistant
Effective: January 25,
2011 $11.96/hour
Ayes 5 Nays 0 The motion carried.
*2. Substitute Instructional Appointment
Mr. Matteo made and Mrs. Swift seconded the following motion:
Upon the recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools, BE IT RESOLVED
that the Board of Education hereby approves the following Substitute
Instructional appointment:
Brenna Enright Substitute
Teacher
Effective: January 11, 2011 $90/day
Plamena
Zamova Substitute
Teacher
Effective: January 25, 2011 $85/day
Ayes 5 Nays 0 The motion carried.
*3. Leave of Absence
Mr. Matteo made and Mrs. Swift seconded the following motion:
Upon the recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools, BE IT RESOLVED,
that the Board of Education hereby approves the following unpaid/paid Leave of
Absence, for the purpose of child rearing, as authorized by the Family Medical
Leave Act:
Jamie Quaranto Elementary
teacher
Effective:
Approximately March 14, 2011-June 24, 2011
Ayes 5 Nays 0 The motion carried.
*4. Approval of Tenure Recommendation for
Teaching Assistant
Mr. Matteo made and Mrs. Swift seconded the following motion:
Upon the recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools, BE IT RESOLVED,
that the Board of Education does hereby appoint the following teaching
assistant to tenure:
|
NAME |
CERTIFICATION |
EFFECTIVE DATE |
|
Susan Rothvoss |
TA Continuing Certificate |
January 11, 2011 |
|
|
|
|
Ayes 5 Nays 0 The motion carried.
CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION
1. Committee on Special Education
Monthly Reports
Mrs. Swift made and Mrs. Boyd seconded the following motion:
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Webutuck Board of Education hereby accepts the
Committee on Special Education report for November & December 2010, prepared by the Webutuck Central
School District Committee on Pre-School Education and by the Webutuck Central
School District Committee on Special Education, as recommended by the
Superintendent of Schools.
Ayes 5 Nays 0 The motion carried.
BUSINESS AND OPERATIONS
1. Acceptance of Donation and Authorization to
increase the 2010-2011 Budget
Mr. Matteo made and Mrs. Boyd seconded the following motion:
Upon the recommendation of the Superintendent
of Schools, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Education hereby accepts with
gratitude one hundred and three dollars ($103.00) from the Webutuck Booster
Club to be used for Varsity Boys’ Basketball
shorts.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Board of
Education approves the increases the 2010-2011 Budget in the amount of $103.00
in Budget Code A2855.450 000041 to be recorded in Revenue Account Code A2770, with
such funds to be expended from A2855.450
000041.
Ayes 5 Nays 0 The motion carried.
2. Authorization for Tax Adjustments
Mrs. Boyd made and Mr. McGhee seconded the following motion:
WHEREAS, by Order
of Honorable James V. Brands, Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of
Dutchess, dated November 15, 2010, in the matter of Application for Refund of
Taxes for the 2009 & 2010 assessment years were adjusted in favor of
petitioner, Cumberland Farms, Inc. (VHS Realty Inc), for property owned in the
Town of Amenia, in the Webutuck Central School District, Tax Parcel No.
13132000-7271-09-236520-0000, said reductions in assessment.
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED, that pursuant to the terms of the above referenced Order, the School
Tax Collector is hereby authorized to issue a refund for the 2009-2010, &
2010-2011,
school years, said
taxes for the 2009-2010 school year should be based on assessed value of
$810,000 instead of $990,000. The taxes
levied were $11,181.99 and should be $9,148.90.
The said taxes for the 2010-2011 school year
should be based on assessed value of $810,000 instead of $990,000. The taxes levied were $11,804.79 and should
be $9,658.46.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE
IT RESOLVED, that the Business Administrator is hereby authorized to correct
the 2009 & 2010 assessments to reflect such valuation reductions, with a
notation in the margin, opposite said entries that the corrections are by
authorization of the above-referenced Order; and
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED, that pursuant to the terms of the above referenced Order, the School
Treasurer is hereby authorized to refund any overpayments of school taxes for
the above school year, said refund in the amount of $ 4,179.41 to Schroder&
Storm, LLP as stated in the agreement.
Ayes 5 Nays 0 The motion carried.
BOARD OF EDUCATION
1. Finance Meeting – The Chairperson summarized
the Finance meeting that took place earlier in the evening. They discussed next years’ budget, operating
under the assumption the District would be lose $650,000 of State Aid. They also discussed the New York State Power Authority;
at this point it is just discussions about energy conservation in the way of
savings for the coming years. The Chair
mentioned a good article in the OnBoard NYSSBA
newspaper on State funding. He
encouraged Board members to look at the article.
The Superintendent stated that he was pleased that Assemblyman Molinaro is on the Governor’s Committee for Mandate
Relief. The Superintendent sent a list
of mandates that impact Webutuck that are unfunded or underfunded. He pointed out an article in the Poughkeepsie
Journal about the percentage of mandate costs out of a typical school
budget. The range was anywhere from 16%
to 20% of a total budget which equates to millions of dollars of mandate
costs. Discussion ensued.
PUBLIC COMMENT
The following topics
were commented on by audience members:
-requesting to go into Executive Session to discuss internship
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Mr. McGhee made and Mr. Matteo seconded a motion to adjourn to executive session at 8:18 pm for the
purpose of discussing the employment history of a particular person or persons.
Ayes 5 Nays 0 The motion carried.
RECONVENE PUBLIC SESSION
Mrs. Swift made and Mr. Matteo seconded a motion to adjourn the executive
session and to reconvene the public session at 10:51 pm.
Ayes 5 Nays 0 The motion carried.
Mrs. Boyd made and Mr. Matteo seconded a motion to approve Patricia Carmody’s Educational Administration Internship program effective
January 25, 2011 fulfilling a 600 hour internship obligation as a School
Building leader and as a School District Leader.
Ayes 4 Nays 1 The motion carried.
Mr. McGhee was the dissenter.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business, Mrs. Boyd made and Mrs. Swift
seconded a motion to adjourn the meeting of January 24, 2011 at 11:00
pm.
Ayes 5 Nays 0 The motion carried.
Respectfully submitted,
Therese M. Trotter
District Clerk