Webutuck Board of
Education held the March 9, 2009 meeting
at 7:30 p.m. in the Webutuck High School Library.
The following
Board members were present:
Dale Culver,
President
Joseph Herald
Andrew Jablonsky left
at 10:21 pm
William McGhee
Joseph Matteo
John Perotti
Also Present:
Dr. Richard N.
Johns, Superintendent
Therese Trotter
District Clerk
Absent:
Susan Lounsbury
CALL TO ORDER
President Culver
called the Business meeting of March 9, 2009 to order at 7:50 p.m.
7:51 Open Public Hearing: Discussion and
comments of possibility of building closures
President Culver
gave reasons to reduce the square footage of the District due to population
decline and current economic conditions.
-Darlene Reimer
lived in Amenia for 42 yrs. Well over
1500 students when her kids went through this school system. Constituency of population has changed
completely. Her architect practice is
mostly second homes no children. Don’t
abandon the building it would still cost to maintain it. It would be a benefit to the Town of
-Robert Boyles –
great idea to centralize, you should sell it for fair market value. It would be a better consideration for Amenia
residents. Doesn’t want to see larger
classes it wouldn’t benefit the students.
-Where are we in
the process and who will make the decision to close a school? A decision will come tonight by the Board of
Education.
-We live in
Wassaic it is a long ride for a Pre-Ker and I would like my child to come to
this campus – MES too long of a ride.
-Should we be
looking a regionalization? In a short
while we will be down to 750 students.
-Is there a
comparative analysis of what we would be doing with the Amenia building? Yes the School business Admin has them.
-Steven Bradley –
Will MES be ready by the fall this year?
Yes.
-Consolidation
has been talked about for the last 12 years.
We need to get back to the point that this will be good for our kids.
-Earlier in the year,
we were told that if the school is out of AES that it will not sit unused. It would be very bad to see that. Is there any guarantee that it will be used?
-Wayne Euvrard Town
Supervisor the Town is very interested in acquiring the building.
-Dave McMillian of
Millerton – Board is doing a great job.
Are teachers going to be layed off because AES would close? A librarian, PE teacher, part of a nurse,
cleaner typist, grade level teacher.
Will students have the same education if we reduce those positions and
close that building?
-I live closer to
Amenia but both kids went to Millerton and I never stepped foot in Amenia. They did very well here.
-People are responding
because teachers are being cut. How big
are the classes going to be? Only the
current fifth grade is going to be reduced to three sections because the
incoming 4th grade enrollment will fit comfortably in 3
sections. What is it going to take to
have MES available for next year? We do
have a plan for what is needed to make MES inhabitable.
-The elderly have been
on a fixed income and that is a segment of the population we have to take into
consideration.
Close Public Hearing
Mr. Perotti made and Mr. Herald seconded the motion to close the public
hearing at 8:30 and enter into the public session.
The six Board members present voted to approve the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
PUBLIC COMMENT
The following comments were made by audience members:
-Students signed a
petition recently to have football next year.
Originally quite a few students signed up for it but it was sill taken
away. I would like to move forward and
don’t know how to do that to talk about football next year. The Athletic Director and Superintendent will
review the information and give feed back at the next meeting.
-Where are the classes
going to end up? Superintendent has
Pre-K and K at the Millerton building in his proposal.
-Did we get rid of two
sports this year? Yes, the football
program, ˝ of field hockey and ˝ volleyball.
There were not enough students for the team. There was discussion on when football came to
Webutuck.
-The Board of Education
puts students first. Is there anything
new on the truck? No. -There are coaches on the agenda, is their
certification in process? Seasonal
workers are on the agenda. Yes the
process was completed, posting and interviews took place.
DISCUSSION
1. Facility Use for 2009-2010
The Superintendent’s Budget proposed Pre-K and K at MES, Grades 1-4 at
WES, Grades 5-12 at EBMS and WHS. The
second proposal would be to close both elementary buildings and have Pre-K-3 at
WES and 4-12 at EBMS and WHS. The Superintendent
would not recommend the latter. The Town
of Amenia would like the AES building, the municipalities of Northeast and
Millerton are not ready to assume the use of MES. The Finance/Audit Committee Chairperson’s
concern is about dwindling funds and knowing that the District can fit everyone
on this campus. Board members discussed
their feelings on closing both buildings.
Discussion ensued.
Mr. Perotti makes and Mr. Matteo seconds a motion (for purpose of discussion)
to close both AES and MES for the 2009-2010 school year.
A Board member stated there are too many open questions right now for me
to vote on this. The Superintendent
asked if the District offices and Special Education offices were to move down
to MES. A Board member stated it would
have to be looked at – it may not be necessary.
This motion should state “to centralize the District up at Height Road”. An audience member asked the Board to look at
what would be the benefits of kindergarten being at WES or MES and also look at
the benefits of 5th grade going to EBMS or staying at WES. Consolidating will save on resources all the
way around.
Discussion ensued.
Mr. Matteo made and Mr. McGhee seconded a motion to table the issue of
buildings and consolidation until after Executive Session
The six Board members present voted to approve the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
2. Football in 2009
This was discussed during public comment.
The Athletic Director and Superintendent will review the information and
bring it back to the Board next board meeting.
3. TAS Report
Mr. Louis Bouffardi has done approximately 300 analysis before Webutuck.
He has done comparisons of the transportation department at Pine Plains,
Wappingers. We looked at a profile of
the District. We looked at the maintenance, transportation facility, the fleet
and personnel; we reviewed Board policies and looked at management. There was also a request made to look at a
single tier option.
The Profile is not out of line its fairly efficiently – cost; looked at statistical data, cost per student was high. In comparison with other school districts (four of them) - WCSD beat one of them. We have the lowest scores but that does not mean your operating at the most efficient way. It needs clean up, drainage is poor, electrical outlets for heaters is not efficient, size of facility was adequate at the time it was built but not currently. The fleet is where it should be in terms of age and mileage. The District has a good fleet replacement program that was started a couple of years ago and should be continued. The fleet should be standardized - Blue Birds, International etc. decide on the kind of fleet you want to have and move forward. Mechanics have good credentials, need more maintenance men. General ratio is 1 mechanic to 16-18 vehicles. Webutuck has 36 total buses. The average is low - 80% passing inspection on the first review. The transportation staff is sufficient. The athletics and field trips are handled well - these are not aidable. District policies are inefficient. The District transports 100% of its students but the policy says something different. Re-routing and re-routing consolidation should take place. At the present time and structure a single tier system would increase the buses, my recommendation would be to look at single tiering in a two step process. Decide the structure of the school system first. Discussion ensued.
CONSENT AGENDA VOTE
Mr. Herald made and Mr. McGhee seconded the following motion to approve the consent agenda as amended.
The following asterisked items can be consent agenda items. 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. Mr. Perotti pulled #6 under Personnel and Mr. Herald pulled #7 under Personnel for further discussion. The Board President asked if under Business and Operations #2 is Silo Ridge the donator. Yes. He thanked Tammy and Silo Ridge for the donation.
The six Board members present voted to approve the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
CLERK’S REPORT
*1 Approval of Minutes for November 3 & November 18, 2008, December 8, 2008 and January 5, January 12, 2009 Board meetings.
Mr. Herald made and Mr. McGhee seconded a motion to accept the Minutes as submitted.
The six Board members present voted to approve the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
*2. Acceptance of Financial Reports as Submitted
Mr. Herald made and Mr. McGhee seconded a motion to accept the Financial Reports as submitted:
Treasurer’s Report for the month
ending January.
Comprehensive Budget Status Report
ending January.
Comprehensive Revenue Status Report
ending January.
Warrants #42-53
The six Board members present voted to approve the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
3. Delegations None
4. Non-Staff Communications None
*1. Instructional
Substitute Appointments
Mr. Herald made and Mr. McGhee seconded the
following motion:
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Education
hereby approves the following Instructional Substitute Appointments, as
recommended by the Superintendent of Schools:
Nicholas
Peters Substitute
Teacher
Effective: March 10, 2009
Donovan
Molloy Substitute
Teacher
Effective: March 10, 2009
The six Board members present voted to approve the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
*2.
Non-Instructional Substitute Appointments
Mr. Herald made and Mr. McGhee seconded the
following motion:
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Education
hereby accepts the following Non-Instructional Substitute appointments, as
recommended by the Superintendent of Schools:
Linda Kattuah Substitute
Teacher Aide
Effective: March 10, 2009
Patricia Hayes Substitute
Teacher Aide
Effective: March 10, 2009
Jessica
Thomas Substitute
Teacher Aide
Effective: March 10, 2009
The six Board members present voted to approve the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
*3.
Instructional Resignation
Mr. Herald made and Mr. McGhee seconded the
following motion:
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Education hereby approves the following
Instructional Resignation (for the purpose of retirement), as recommended by
the Superintendent of Schools:
Tonise Baker 5th
Grade Teacher
Effective: June 30, 2009
The six Board members present voted to approve the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
*4.
Extra-Curricular Appointments for the 2008-2009 School Year
Mr. Herald made and Mr. McGhee seconded the following motion:
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Education
hereby approves the following Extra-Curricular appointments for the 2008-2009
school year, as recommended by the Superintendent of Schools:
Barbara
Riley Assistant
to Data Manager
Jay
Bradley Musical
Director, Spring Musical
Ann
Sartori Varsity
Softball Coach
Kevin
Kleespies Modified
Baseball Coach
Evelyn
Peters Volunteer
JV & Varsity Softball Coach
Joseph
McEnroe Volunteer
JV Baseball Coach
Pat
Fontaine Volunteer
Varsity Softball Coach
Rebecca
Knapp JV
Softball Coach
Kathleen
Kelly Modified
Track Coach
The six Board members present voted to approve the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
*5. Creation of Positions
Mr. Herald made and Mr. McGhee seconded the following motion:
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Education
approves the creation of two (2) Monitor positions for Webutuck High
School, as recommended by the Superintendent of Schools.
The six Board members present voted to approve the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
6. Approval of Tenure Recommendations for
Teaching Assistants
The resolution was pulled for further discussion in Executive Session.
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Education does hereby appoint the
following teaching assistants to tenure, effective March 10, 2009, as
recommended by the Superintendent of Schools.
|
NAME |
CERTIFICATION |
EFFECTIVE DATE |
|
Ruth Ramos |
Level II |
March 10, 2009 |
|
Jacqueline Woodruff |
Pre-Professional |
March 10, 2009 |
|
Kimberly Coon |
Level II |
March 10, 2009 |
7. Approval of Tenure Recommendations for
Teacher
The resolution was pulled for further discussion in Executive Session.
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Education does hereby appoint the
following teacher to tenure, effective March 10, 2009, as recommended by the
Superintendent of Schools.
Teacher Tenure Area Effective Date
T. Craig Morton Library Media Specialist 3/10/2009
8. Instructional Substitute Appointments
Mr. Herald made and Mr. McGhee seconded the following motion:
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Education hereby approves the following
Instructional Substitute Appointments, as recommended by the Superintendent of
Schools:
Jan M. Smalley Substitute
Teacher
Effective: March 10, 2009
Vonalyn Malloy Substitute
Teacher
Effective: March 10, 2009
The six Board members present voted to approve the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
9. Non-Instructional Substitute Appointments
The Board decided to wait until a decision is made on Millerton after Executive
Session
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Education hereby approves the following
Non-Instructional Substitute Appointments, as recommended by the Superintendent
of Schools:
Stephen Lounsbury Seasonal Worker
Effective: March 10, 2009 – June 10, 2009
Paige Robertson Seasonal
Worker
Effective: March 10, 2009 – June 10, 2009
The six Board members present voted to approve the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
10.
Instructional Resignation
Mr. Herald made and Mr.
Perotti seconded the following motion: With
the Boards thanks and appreciation for her years of dedication.
BE IT RESOLVED, that the
Board of Education hereby approves the following Instructional Resignation (for
the purpose of retirement), as recommended by the Superintendent of Schools:
Carla
Davis Elementary
Physical Education Teacher Effective
June 30, 2009
The six Board members present voted to approve the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
BUSINESS AND
OPERATIONS
*1.
Acceptance of Donation
Mr. Herald made and Mr. McGhee seconded the following motion:
BE IT RESOLVED, the Board of Education of
Webutuck School hereby accepts sixteen (16) tickets to an Off-Broadway show
“The Gazillion Bubbles Show” at the New World Stages Theater in New York City
as a charitable donation by Mr. and Mrs. Vincent McDonald for Tammy
Nethercott’s 1:12:2 class, as recommended by the Superintendent of Schools.
The six Board members present voted to approve the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
*2. Acceptance of Donation
Mr. Herald made and Mr. McGhee seconded the following motion:
BE IT RESOLVED, the Board of Education of
Webutuck School hereby accepts the donation of six (6) chairs, one (1) square
table and one self-standing sign with plastic letters for the senior lounge by
Silo Ridge, as recommended by the Superintendent of Schools.
The six Board members present voted to approve the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
*3. Approval of VAZ-CO Reclaiming Service Bid
Mr.
Herald made and Mr. McGhee seconded the following motion:
BE IT RESOLVED, the Board of Education of
Webutuck School hereby approves the VAZ-CO RECLAIMING SERVICE bid to respond to
soil contamination at the Webutuck High School on a time and material basis, as
recommended by the Superintendent of Schools.
The six Board members present voted to approve the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
CURRICULUM
AND INSTRUCTION
*1. Approval of Textbooks
Mr. Herald made and Mr. McGhee seconded the following motion:
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Education
hereby approves the following textbooks for Family and Consumer Science
Curriculum – Culinary Essentials 2010, Glencoe 2006, Guide to Good Food, 10th
Ed., Goodheart-Willcox 2008, Creative Living Skills, Glencoe 2010 and The
Developing Child, Glencoe 2010 also for Mathematics Curriculum – Algebra 2 and
Trigonometry, Amsco 2005, as recommended by the Superintendent of Schools.
The six Board members present voted to approve the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
*2. Committee on Special Education
Monthly Reports
Mr. Herald made and Mr. McGhee seconded the following motion:
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Webutuck Board of Education hereby accepts the
Committee on Special Education report for January 2009 and February 2009, 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.
The six Board members present voted to approve the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
3. Approval of 2009-2010 Webutuck
Mr. Herald made and Mr. Matteo seconded the following motion:
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Education hereby approves the 2009-2010
Webutuck School District Calendar (as presented), as recommended by the
Superintendent of Schools.
The six Board members present voted to approve the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
4.
Approval of Mathematics Course
Mr. Herald made and Mr. Perotti seconded the following motion:
Rosanna Hamm stated they have finalized the course, the names of students
who would be in the class and the topics that would be taught. Are the parents deciding whether their child
is going to take the Regents or not?
Yes. Will this be reevaluated
next year. Next year there will be options for students to take different math
courses.
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Education hereby approves the course
entitled “Practical Geometry” for the 2008-2009 school year, as recommended by
the Superintendent of School.
The six Board members present voted to approve the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
BOARD OF EDUCATION
1. Approve Support for
the Town of
Mr. Herald made and Mr. Perotti seconded the following motion:
All costs are being incurred by the Town of
Whereas, the Town of Amenia has been in discussions with the Webutuck School District regarding potential future uses of the Amenia Elementary School building in light of the school district’s long-term goal of consolidating the school facilities; and
Whereas, the Town of Amenia has expressed an interest in possibly moving town offices from the current rental facility on Mechanic Street into the vacated Amenia Elementary; and
Whereas, the Town of Amenia is seeking a $25,000 high priority planning grant to fund a feasibility study of the building and the Town also agrees to provide a 10% match of up to $2,500 if a grant is awarded; and
Whereas, the Town intends to work with the Webutuck School District as a co-applicant; and;
Whereas, a resolution of support from the Webutuck School District is required to submit a grant application and if a grant is awarded the Town would seek to establish an intermunicipal agreement with the Webutuck School District; and
Now, therefore, be it resolved, the Webutuck School District supports the Town of Amenia’s grant application to the NYS Department of State Local Government Efficiency Grant Program for a high priority planning grant to fund this proposed feasibility study.
The six Board members present voted to approve the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
PUBLIC COMMENT
The following comments were made by audience members:
-Communication is a problem in the School. Audience member read a letter regarding her
concerns with the District. She stated
she would like to meet with the Board to discuss these concerns.
The Board discussed having a meeting next Monday, March 16, 2009.
BOARD MEMBER QUESTIONS
The President asked if we can schedule a Business meeting next Monday
night? All Board members present are in
agreement.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Mr. Perotti made and Mr. McGhee
seconded a motion to adjourn to executive session at 10:20 pm for the purpose
of discussing personnel issues regarding consolidation. The six Board members
present voted. The motion carried
unanimously.
ADJOURNMENT OF EXECUTIVE
SESSION
Mr. Perotti made a
motion to adjourn the executive session and reconvene the public session at 12:20 pm. The five Board members present voted.
The motion carried unanimously.
6. Approval of Tenure Recommendations for
Teaching Assistants
Mr. Herald made a motion to table this motion.
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Education does hereby appoint the
following teaching assistants to tenure, effective March 10, 2009, as
recommended by the Superintendent of Schools.
|
NAME |
CERTIFICATION |
EFFECTIVE DATE |
|
Ruth Ramos |
Level II |
March 10, 2009 |
|
Jacqueline Woodruff |
Pre-Professional |
March 10, 2009 |
|
Kimberly Coon |
Level II |
March 10, 2009 |
The five Board members present voted.
The motion carried unanimously.
7. Approval of Tenure Recommendations for
Teacher
Mr. Herald made a motion to table this motion.
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Education does hereby appoint the
following teacher to tenure, effective March 10, 2009, as recommended by the
Superintendent of Schools.
Teacher Tenure Area Effective Date
T. Craig Morton Library Media Specialist 3/10/2009
The five Board members present voted.
The motion carried unanimously.
Mr. Perotti made the following motion:
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Education does hereby approve the
closure of AES and MES.
The five Board members present voted to approve the motion. The motion was defeated unanimously.
Mr. Herald made the following motion:
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Education does hereby approve the closing
of Amenia Elementary School on July 1, 2009 and donating the building to the
Town of Amenia, as recommended by the Superintendent of Schools.
The five Board members present voted to approve the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business, Mr. Perotti made a motion to adjourn the
meeting of March 9, 2009 at 12:26 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Therese M. Trotter
District Clerk