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
Absent:
Andrew Jablonsky
Susan Lounsbury
�
CALL TO ORDER
Mr. Culver called
the business meeting of
PUBLIC COMMENT
The following comments
were made by audience members:
- Wanted it brought to
the Board�s attention that he submitted a letter to the Board regarding
retroactive pay for substitute bus drivers and would like the Board to consider
it.
- Submitted a letter to
the Board regarding a bus incident that occurred last week which brought to
light a dangerous situation the District and for bus drivers.� There needs to be cameras on all buses.� Discussion ensued.
- Discussed retroactive
pay being past practice so why don�t the substitute bus drivers get it
now.� The letter CSEA employees received
never stated anyone was excluded. There has only been one time in the last
eighteen years that substitute bus drivers received retroactive pay and that
was a mistake.� Discussion ensued.
- The ACE Program is on
the cut list this year and parent brought her daughter (ACE student) along to
state that this is a necessary program.�
The program has helped several students who are now in high school and
most likely would have dropped out of school had it not been for ACE.� Her daughter has done well in the program and
the daughter stated that �school doesn�t suck anymore� because of the ACE
program. ACE teaches students who were thought to be un-teachable.
DISCUSSION
Retro pay for Substitute Bus Drivers
The Superintendent explained that during the negotiations at the
The Board President stated he did not believe at the time they negotiated
the current CSEA contract, they were excluding any employee except those that
had left the District.� Another Board
member stated if substitutes do not join the union they should not be entitled
to retroactive pay.� Discussion ensued.
Mr. Perotti made and Ms. Coniglio seconded the following motion:
BE IT RESOLVED, the Board of Education of Webutuck School District will allow
the non-precedent setting retroactive payment to substitute employees for the
period of July 1, 2006 through February 10, 2008, for an aggregate total of
$5,641.04, as recommended by the Superintendent of Schools.
The five Board members present voted to approve the motion.� The motion carried unanimously.�
Relative to the bus drivers letter submitted and concerns raised at the meeting tonight regarding cameras on buses we should continue the discussion.� The Superintendent stated the installation of cameras began this year.� Cameras cost $1800 each. A Board member questioned the past practice of buying buses with cameras already installed. The School Business Administrator stated the quality of the cameras is a problem. The picture is grainy and you cannot hear what is being said therefore the District have been upgrading cameras as we go along. At the present time the District has 11 buses with no cameras, 6 buses that have cameras that do not work, 6 cars/vans with no cameras and 7 buses with working cameras. A Board member questioned if the District could use Senator Leibell’s money (approx. $50,000) because he did not put a stipulation of use on it. The Superintendent will discuss with the Transportation Supervisor solutions to this problem and speak about it at the April 7 Board meeting. Discussion ensued.
2008-2009 Budget
The Superintendent stated at the Board’s last Finance Committee meeting
it was decided that having a high property tax and cutting programs were not
acceptable ways to reduce the Budget.
The Committee members also looked at the variance and are looking
towards the State budget. State Revenue
may go up to a 3 % level which could mean in the neighborhood of an additional $100,000. The Superintendent and School Business
Administrator went over the budget with the following thoughts; to not go over
5.5% in property taxes, to not reduce four teachers, to not reduce more than
one Teaching Assistant and at the same time hold the District variance at about
8% or 1.6 million dollars. The District
is looking at some increased revenue from this year which will help the
appropriated fund balance going forward into next year. It is up to the Board to decide if these are
the right provisions for the Budget.
Discussion ensued.
BUSINESS AND
OPERATIONS
1. Notice of Annual Meeting
Authorization
Mr. Herald made and Ms. Coniglio seconded the
following motion:
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Education
hereby authorizes and directs the District Clerk to give notice to the
qualified voters of the School District of the Annual Public Hearing on the
Budget on Monday, May 5, 2008 at 7:30 p.m., for the purpose of presenting the
budget document for the 2008-2009 School Year and the Annual Meeting, School
District election and Vote on the Budget to be held on Tuesday, May 20, 2008.
The five Board members present voted to approve
the motion. The motion carried
unanimously.
2. Authorization of Transportation
Proposition to be placed on the ballot at the Annual Meeting of the qualified
voters on
Mr. Herald made and Ms. Coniglio seconded the
following motion:
A Board member discussed adding language in the
proposition to include cameras and radios.
It was agreed upon by Board members and the proposition is amended to
read as such.
2008-2009 TRANSPORTATION
VEHICLE PROPOSITION
BE IT RESOLVED, that the following proposition be placed on
the ballot at the Annual Meeting of the qualified voters of the
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Education of the Webutuck
Central School District, Dutchess and Columbia Counties, New York, be authorized
to (1) purchase two 65-passenger school buses at a maximum estimated cost of
$93,675 each, one 17 passenger minivan at a maximum estimated cost of $25,525,
and one 28 passenger van at a maximum estimated cost of $43,000 for an
aggregate maximum estimated cost of $255,875, (2) equipped with radios and
cameras (3) expend such sum for such purposes, (4) levy the tax necessary
therefore, to be levied and collected in annual installments in such years in
such amounts as may be determined by the Board of Education, taking into
account state aid received, and (5) in anticipation of the collection of such
tax, to issue bonds and notes of the District at one time or from time to time
in the principal amount at a maximum estimated cost of $255,875, and levy a tax
to pay the interest on said obligations when due.
The five Board members present voted to approve the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
PUBLIC COMMENT
There was none.
BOARD MEMBER QUESTIONS
The Policy Committee Chairperson stated that five polices that had been
remanded back to the Committee in December will be in all Board members’
packets this Friday. She requested Board
members to make any changes they feel necessary and to hand them back for
Monday’s meeting.
A Board member questioned if the District buses have governors on
them. It was thought they did not.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Mr. Herald made and Mr. McGhee seconded a motion to adjourn to executive
session at 8:55pm for the purpose of discussing negotiations and personnel
issues. The five Board members present voted.
The motion carried unanimously.
ADJOURNMENT OF EXECUTIVE
SESSION
Mr. Herald made a motion to adjourn the executive
session and reconvene the public session at 9:47 pm. The five Board members present voted. The motion carried unanimously.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business, Mr. Herald made a motion to adjourn the
meeting of
Respectfully submitted,
Tracy Trotter
District Clerk