Webutuck Board of
Education held the
The following
Board members were present:
Dale Culver,
President
Bernadette
Coniglio
Joseph Herald
William McGhee
John Perotti
Also Present:
Dr. Richard N.
Johns, Superintendent
Linda Peters,
School Business Administrator
Therese Trotter
District Clerk
Absent:
Andrew Jablonsky
Susan Lounsbury
CALL TO ORDER
Vice-President
Herald called the business meeting of
PUBLIC COMMENT
Audience members made
the following comments:
Agricultural land has
been incorrectly assessed. Ag land
cannot be assessed at market value but it is being done. How does the State
determine the wealth of a District and then determine State Aid? The
School Business Administrator will look into this question. Discussion ensued.
Is the District going to
continue to have weekly meetings on the Budget?
No, the District is hosting two
Budget Forums for the public. Last
year there was talk of the budget going up and will continue to go up in future
years. The Board does not have the
authority to say to teachers there will be no more raises. We need to get that across to Assemblyman
Molinaro. Discussion ensued.
WHS 2007-2008 GOALS PRESENTATION -
JAY POSEPHNEY
The BET 2007-2008 Building Goals were presented by Mr. Posephney. They were as follows:
Goal #1 – Increase student success on word problems and short and
extended answer questions on the NYS Regents and RCT Exams.
Mr. Posephney stated reading comprehension across curriculum will be the
main emphasis with this goal. He then
outlined the steps he and his staff will take to attain the goal and evaluate
the process as they go along.
Goal #2 – Increase students passing Regents at Mastery Level by 3%.
Mr. Posephney stated more teachers are staying after school to give
extra-help. Algebra now is a whole year, parental communication has expanded to
include access to each teacher’s website for homework. There is discussion about a ninth grade boot
camp being instituted for next year to assist those new ninth grade students
with transition into high school.
Discussion ensued.
DISCUSSION
1. Geometry Textbook
New books are needed
because
2. Building Goals
Board will need to
approve all the Building Goals later than usual this year because we have new
principals. By approving the goals, the
Board is saying through those building goals the vision and mission statements
are closer to being met each year.
3. CSEA Contract
We have finally reached
a tentative agreement with the CSEA on their contract. There is a retroactive component to it; it
begins July 2006 and goes through June 2010.
A Board member asked to go into executive session before taking action
on the approval of the contract. It was
agreed upon by the Board members. It was
pointed out that on this agenda under CSEA contract resolution it states July
2006 - June 2011 when in fact it is June 2010.
It will be amended. The CSEA
members ratified the agreement 54 to 1.
4. Contract Negotiations
The WTA negotiations are
at Fact Finding at this point.
CLERK’S REPORT
*1 Approval of Minutes as amended for January 7
and
Mr. Perotti made and Mr. McGhee seconded the approval of minutes as amended.
It was pointed out the minutes year showed 2007, it will be amended to show 2008.
The five Board members present voted. The motion carried unanimously.
3. Delegations
There were none.
4. Non-Staff Communications
There were none.
PERSONNEL
1. Extra-Curricular Appointments for
the 2007-2008 School Year
Board members will discuss this in executive
session.
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Education
hereby approves the following Extra-Curricular appointments for the 2007-2008
school year, as recommended by the Superintendent of Schools:
Nancy
Gagne Choreographer
Jay
Bradley Musical
Director
Sean
Hosier Modified
Track Coach
Anthony
DiUglio Varsity
Girls Track Coach
2. Instructional Substitute Appointment
Mr. Herald made and Mr. McGhee seconded the following motion:
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Education hereby approves the following Instructional Substitute appointment, as recommended by the Superintendent of
Schools:
John Merwin Long
Term Substitute Teacher
Effective:
The five Board members present voted to approve the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
BUSINESS AND
OPERATIONS
1.
Adoption of Bond Resolution
Ms. Coniglio made
and Mr. Herald seconded the following motion:
A Board member
questioned how long of a period are we requesting for a ban? The School
Business Administrator responded less than a year. A Board member requested a list of how many
bans we have. The School Business
Administrator will provide it to the Board.
A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE PURCHASE OF
ONE (1) 65-PASSENGER SCHOOL BUS AND ONE (1) 18-PASSENGER SCHOOL BUS EQUIPPED
FOR WHEELCHAIR TRANSPORTATION AND ONE (1) 28-PASSENGER VAN AND (2) TWO CARS FOR
USE BY THE NORTHEAST CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT, DUTCHESS AND COLUMBIA COUNTIES,
NEW YORK, AT A MAXIMUM ESTIMATED COST OF $213,000.00 AND AUTHORIZING THE
ISSUANCE OF SERIAL BONDS AND BOND ANTICIPATION NOTES OF SAID SCHOOL DISTRICT IN
THE AMOUNT OF $209,695.05 TO PAY THE COST THEREOF.
WHEREAS, at the special meeting of the Board of Education of the Northeast Central School District, Dutchess and Columbia Counties, New York, duly called, held and conducted on November 13, 2007, a majority of the duly qualified voters of said School District voting thereat approved a proposition authorizing the purchase of (1) 65-passenger school bus at a cost not to exceed $85,000.00 and one (1) 18-passenger school bus equipped for wheelchair transportation at a cost not to exceed $52,000.00 and one (1) 28-passenger van at a cost not to exceed $39,000.00 and (2) two cars maximum estimated cost of $37,000 (18,500 each) for an aggregate maximum estimated cost of $213,000.00; and providing for the levy of a tax therefore to be collected in installments with obligations of said School District to be issued in anticipation thereof; and
WHEREAS, it is now desired to provide for the financing thereof, to set the details and to provide for other matters in connection therewith;
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Board of Education of the
Section
1. The purchase of the following
vehicles for use by the
One (1) 65-passenger school bus at a cost of $83,266.28
And
One (1) 18-passenger school bus equipped for wheelchair transportation at a cost of $51,238.77
And
One (1) 28-passenger van at a cost of $38,190
And
Two (2) Cars at a cost of (18,500 each) $37,000
Section 2. The specific objects or purposes for which said obligations are to be issued pursuant to this resolution is to finance the cost of the purchase of said passenger vehicles.
Section
3. The maximum estimated cost of
the aforesaid items is $213,000.00 and the plan for financing thereof is by the
issuance of serial bonds of said
Section 4. It is hereby determined that the period of probable usefulness applicable to the aforesaid specific classes of objects or purposes is five (5) years, pursuant to subdivision 29 of paragraph (a) of Section 11.00 of the Local Finance Law. The proposed maturity of the obligations authorized by this resolution will not be in excess of five (5) years.
Section 5. Subject to the provisions of the Local Finance Law, the power to authorize the issuance of and to sell bond anticipation notes in anticipation of the issuance and sale of the serial bonds herein authorized, including renewals of said notes, is hereby delegated to the President of the Board of Education, the Chief Fiscal Officer, or to the Vice-President of the Board of Education in the President’s absence. Such bond anticipation note and any renewals thereof shall bear interest and be of such terms, form and contents, and shall be sold in such manner as may be prescribed by said President of the Board of Education, consistent with the provisions of the Local Finance Law. There are presently no outstanding obligations which have been issued in anticipation of the sale of such obligations.
Section 6. All other matters, except as provided herein, relating to such bonds shall be determined by the President of the Board of Education, including the power to designate such bonds as “qualified tax exempt obligations” pursuant to Section 265(b)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, if at the time of such designation, such officer is able to certify that: (i) the School District is, and was as of October 23, 1985, a political subdivision of the State of New York; (ii) it is reasonably anticipated that (a) the amount of “qualified tax-exempt obligations”, within the meaning of Section 265(b)(3) of the Code which will be issued by the School District during this calendar year shall not exceed $10,000,000.00 and (b) the bonds do not constitute part of an issue, and are not part of a series of issues issued for a common purpose, exceeding $3,000,000.00 in the aggregate; and (iii) the sum of principal amount of the bonds and the principal amount of any other obligations heretofore designated by the School District during the current fiscal year does not exceed $10,000,000.00. Such bonds shall contain substantially the recital of validity clause provided for in Section 52.00 of the Local Finance Law and shall otherwise be in such form and contain such recitals, in addition to those required by Section 51.00 of the Local Finance Law, as the President of the Board of Education shall determine.
Section 7. The validity of such obligations may be contested only if:
(a) Such obligations are authorized for an
object or purpose for which such
(b) The provisions of law which should be complied with as of the date of publication of this resolution or summary thereof are not substantially complied with and an action, suit or proceeding contesting such validity is commenced within twenty (20) days after the date of such publication; or
(c) Such obligations are authorized in violation of the provisions of the Constitution.
Section 8. This resolution shall take effect immediately.
The five Board members present voted to approve the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
CURRICULUM
AND INSTRUCTION
1. Committee on Special Education Monthly Reports
Ms. Coniglio made and Mr. Herald seconded the following motion:
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Webutuck Board of Education hereby accepts the
Committee on Special Education report for January 2008, 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 five Board members
present voted to approve the motion. The
motion carried unanimously.
2.
Approval of Textbook – Geometry
Ms. Coniglio made and Mr. Herald seconded the
following motion:
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Education
hereby approves the following textbook for the Mathematics’ curriculum,
Geometry; 2008 Amsco Publisher, as recommended by the Superintendent of
Schools.
The five Board members
present voted to approve the motion. The
motion carried unanimously.
3. Acceptance of Obsolete Books
Ms. Coniglio made and Mr. Herald seconded the
following motion:
A Board member asked are we accepting the books
or disposing of the. They are being
accepted as obsolete books. The
Superintendent stated if we find someone to take the books the District will
give them away, if not we will dispose of them.
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Education hereby declares the
following listed items obsolete, as recommended by the Superintendent of
Schools:
Letters Plus Communicating on the Job 1992, Applied Business
Mathematics 1985, Basic Letter and Memo Writing 1987
The five Board members
present voted to approve the motion. The
motion carried unanimously.
4. Approval of
Mr. Herald made and Ms. Coniglio seconded the following motion:
The Board President stated he was encouraged by the academic points that the Board is approving and dovetailing the curriculum together so that weaknesses can be identified as the District moves forward.
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the Building Excellence Team Building Goals for the 2007-2008 school year, as recommended by the Superintendent of Schools.
The five Board members
present voted to approve the motion. The
motion carried unanimously.
BOARD OF EDUCATION
1. Approval of Civil Service Employee
Association (CSEA) Contract
Board members will discuss this in executive session.
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Education hereby approves the agreement for the successor contract for the CSEA July 2006 – June 2010, as recommended by the Superintendent of Schools
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Ms. Coniglio made and Mr. Herald seconded a motion to adjourn to
executive session at 8:29 pm for the
purpose of discussing particular personnel issues and contract negotiation. The
five Board members present voted. The
motion carried unanimously.
Extra-Curricular Appointments for the 2007-2008
School Year
Mr. Herald made and Ms. Coniglio seconded the following motion as
amended:
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Education
hereby approves the following Extra-Curricular appointments for the 2007-2008
school year, as recommended by the Superintendent of Schools:
Nancy
Gagne Choreographer
Jay
Bradley Musical
Director
Sean
Hosier Co-Coach
Modified Track
Anthony
DiUglio Co-Coach
Modified Track
The five Board members present voted.
The motion carried unanimously.
Approval of Civil
Service Employee Association (CSEA) Contract
Mr. Herald made and Ms. Coniglio seconded the following motion as amended:
A Board member thanked the team that finalized the contract negotiations as well as the CSEA representation that worked together to approve it.
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Education hereby approves the agreement for the successor contract for the CSEA July 2006 – June 2010, as recommended by the Superintendent of Schools
The five Board members present voted.
The motion carried unanimously.
Mr. Perotti made and Mr. McGhee seconded the following motion:
A Board member questioned if we were taking away representation from our
attorney in negotiating the contract. A Board
member stated that negotiations would be under the advisement of our attorneys
at all times. The Superintendent and the
District’s attorney have been the negotiators; the Board has not been involved
in the direct process.
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Education negotiating team and
attorneys take over negotiations with the Teachers’ contract, under advisement
of the District’s attorney.
The five Board members
present voted. The motion carried
unanimously.
PUBLIC COMMENT
The following comments were made by audience members”
-Thank the Board, Joe Herald and Dale Culver for getting involved in
negotiations and bringing to a quick resolution. Let’s do this in the future.
-It is a compliment to the District that retired teachers come back to
substitute here.
-Who is coaching Girls Varsity Track? Doug Winslow will coach both boys
and girls track and Mr. Hosier and Mr. DiUglio will help.
BOARD MEMBER QUESTIONS
Where are we at with 504 students and the difficulties. Each Building Principal is in charge of
504’s. A letter will be sent every
semester telling the teacher about the 504 students in their classroom and
recommending teaching ideas to help them..
A copy will go to the parents.
Discussion ensued.
The Board needs to review the Policy about passing Regents.
What about the milk machines? Mr.
Freer is not interested in the machine because of the mechanical and delivery
problems. It will be turned over to Rob
and Linda. It was stated that Mr. Rosner is not interested in another machine.
A Board member stated he supported the Amenia community collection of
clothing being done by a Christian organization. We do not need a motion to approve this, many
organization do this type of event. Is
this a conflict with Religion v State issue?
The Board member stated he does not want the District to have problems
down the road. Discussion ensued.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Mr. Perotti made and Mr. Herald seconded a motion to adjourn to executive
session at 9:01 pm for the purpose
of discussing particular personnel issues. The five 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 10:22 pm. The five Board members present voted. The motion carried unanimously.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business, Mr. Perotti made a motion to adjourn the
meeting of
Respectfully submitted,
Tracy Trotter
District Clerk