Board of Education Regular Meeting February 10, 2022

Watervliet City School District
Watervliet, New York
Board of Education
Regular Meeting
Date: February 10, 2022
Type of Meeting: Regular Meeting
Meeting Opened: 6:03 p.m.
Where: Watervliet Jr. – Sr. High School

Board Members Present:

President Amanda Cavanaugh
Vice President Sheri Senecal
Mary Beth Whited
Heather Soroka

Board Members Absent: Timothy Delisle

Superintendent: Dr. Donald Stevens, Jr.

Student Council Rep: Gianna Rincon

The meeting was opened at 6:03 p.m., with President Cavanaugh officiating.

Public Comment

There were no public comments.

Reports/Comments

A. Superintendent’s Report

Dr. Stevens shared the following:

  • The Comptroller has released environmental and financial stress reports for districts. We have no designation for financial stress. The environmental stress report is relatively new, and our district is listed as “susceptible.” The report will be sent to Board members.
  • Each Board member was given a copy of the BOCES Snapshot, which outlines aide, services, number of students attending BOCES programs, etc.
  • Each member of the staff and Board of Education received a 2022 calendar that included monthly inspirational messages.
  • We are planning a special “Cabin Fever” day. It will be a district-wide day. More details are forthcoming, but it will hopefully be a lot of fun. Last Friday, we had a puzzle contest between our buildings. These are just some of the positive things we are doing, which we hope will trickle down to students and support a positive culture.
  • Masks are a hot topic in New York State. We are still mandated, but the governor will revisit the issue after February break.
  • I attended a meeting today with county representatives of the health departments in all four local counties. They compared our mitigation plans to layers of swiss cheese, which alone are not perfect, but the more layers, the better.
  • On tonight’s agenda, there is the creation of an eSports position. With the help of Ms. DeMento and Mr. Wareing.
    • Mr. Wareing noted that they scrimmaged tonight and won against a team from Michigan.
    • Mr. Wareing assisted with the wrestling tournament this weekend. It was our first time hosting such a large event and it went well.
    • Mr. Wareing thanked Dr. Stevens and the Board for allowing the tournament to take place. He noted that he received a lot of positive feedback from the coaches of the teams and stated that he hopes to host it again in the future.
  • On tonight’s agenda, there is an outline of the dates we have planned for upcoming budget activities. Dates and times are as follows:
    • March 10, 6:00 p.m. – Regular BOE Meeting and Budget Presentation with Assemblyman McDonald
    • March 24, 6:00 p.m. – Budget Workshop
    • April 5, 6:30 p.m. – Budget Workshop at WES PTA Meeting
    • April 12, 6:00 p.m. – Regular BOE Meeting, Final Budget Presentation and Board Adoption
    • May 10, 6:00 p.m. – Regular BOE Meeting and Public Budget Hearing
    • May 17, 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. – School Budget Vote & Election; 8:30 p.m. Special BOE Meeting to receive and accept the results

B. Student Council Report

Gianna Rincon, Student Council representative, shared the following:

  • Thank you to Mrs. Fronczek and the Cannoneer Club for scheduling a fun spirit week. We are excited about the possibility of an upcoming boxing glove basketball game.
  • Thank you to Mr. Whited and Mr. Tuskey for setting up an international food tasting station. We were able to try foods from three areas of the world: Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Afghanistan. Thank you to Miss Diaz, Mr. Groat, Mr. Wareing and Mr. Gadsden for all of their work putting it together.
  • On Tuesday, February 22, members of the Student Council and the National Honor Society, will be assisting the volunteers in handing out food to those in need.

C. Committee Reports

Policy Committee

Second Reading of New / Revised Policies:

Regular Board Meetings and Rules (Quorum and Parliamentary Procedure)
Professional Growth/Staff Development

Mrs. Soroka noted that plans for the next policy committee meeting are in the works.

Board of Education Discussion

There was no Board discussion.

Items Requiring Board Action

On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Sheri Senecal and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the termination of Sofia Babar, from the position of Cafeteria Worker at the Watervliet Jr. – Sr. High School, effective January 31, 2022, as recommended by the Superintendent.

On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Sheri Senecal and unanimously accepted, the Board accepted the resignation of Donna Palmer, from the position of Administrative Aide at the Watervliet Jr. – Sr. High School, effective February 11, 2022, as recommended by the Superintendent.

On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Sheri Senecal and unanimously accepted, the Board accepted the resignation of Briana Haluska, from the position of English Teacher at the Watervliet Jr. – Sr. High School, effective February 27, 2022, as recommended by the Superintendent.

On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Sheri Senecal and unanimously accepted, the Board accepted the resignation of Kelly McCall, from the position of Elementary Teacher at the Watervliet Elementary School, effective June 30, 2022, as recommended by the Superintendent.

On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Sheri Senecal and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the leave request for Kelly Bariteau, effective April 1, 2022 through June 24, 2022, as recommended by the Superintendent.

On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Sheri Senecal and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the emergency appointment of Nicholas Leone to the position of Full-Time Night Cleaner for the Watervliet City School District, at a rate of $15.00 per hour, effective January 18, 2022, as recommended by the Superintendent.

On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Sheri Senecal and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the following emergency teaching overages for the remainder of the 2021 – 2022 academic school year at the Watervliet Jr. – Sr. High School, as outlined in the attached, effective January 31, 2022, as recommended by the Superintendent:

  • L. Moore (+.2) Home & Careers
  • K. Logan (+.2) Health
  • N. LaBoissiere (+.2) Home & Careers

On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Sheri Senecal and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the emergency appointment of Matthew Saucier to the position of eSports Gaming Coach for the 2021 – 2022 school year, at a stipend of $2,521.00, as recommended by the Superintendent.

On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Sheri Senecal and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the Substitute Registry submitted by BOCES, as recommended by the Superintendent (packet #5).

On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Sheri Senecal and unanimously accepted, the Board accepted the Internal Claims Auditor Report for the month of January 2022, submitted by Michaeleen Backus, as recommended by the Superintendent.

On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Sheri Senecal and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the following Treasurer’s Reports for the month of December 2021, submitted by Keith Heid, Business Manager, as recommended by the Superintendent:

  • Schedule of Warrants & Payrolls
  • Revenue Status Report
  • Cash & Investments
  • Appropriation Status Report

On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Sheri Senecal and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the following payment requests, submitted by Keith Heid, Business Manager, as recommended by the Superintendent:

WATERVLIET 2021 CAPITAL PROJECT – ADDITIONS & ALTERATIONS

  • Atlantic Testing Lab.
    Invoice #237165
    $1,825.00
  • DLC Electric, LLC
    Payment App # 009
    $53,065.57
  • Gallo Construction
    Payment App # 009
    $11,668.13
  • General Roofing Contractors
    Payment App # 008
    $84,912.29
  • R.F. Gordon Mechanical LLC
    Payment App # 008
    $41,404.27

On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Sheri Senecal and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the amendment to the Employee Benefit Document for Non-Aligned Cleaners and Bus Drivers submitted by Keith Heid, Business Manager, as recommended by the Superintendent.

On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Sheri Senecal and unanimously accepted, the Board approved an adjusted rate of pay for Chris Kowalewski, Full-Time Bus Driver, from $24.20 to $27.50 an hour, effective March 1, 2022, submitted by Keith Heid, Business Manager, as recommended by the Superintendent.

On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Sheri Senecal and unanimously accepted, the Board abolished the following inactive extracurricular clubs, close their respective accounts, and move any remaining funds into the Students in Need Fund, as recommended by the Superintendent:

  • Chess
  • FHA
  • French
  • Photography
  • SHOW/SADD
  • Spanish

On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Sheri Senecal and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the creation of a grant-funded eSports Coach position, at a stipend of $2,521.00, effective January 31, 2022, as recommended by the Superintendent.

On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Sheri Senecal and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the Cooperative Agreement with Hudson Valley Community College, to provide college in the high school courses, as outlined in the attached, as recommended by the Superintendent.

On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Sheri Senecal and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the Board of Education Minutes for the meeting held January 13, 2022, submitted by Bernadette L. Boardman, Clerk of the Board, as recommended by the Superintendent.

On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Sheri Senecal and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the Committee on Special Education’s recommendations for the meetings held January 5, January 12, January 13, January 14, January 20 and January 21, 2022, submitted by Veronica Bedard and Danielle Tetrault, CSE Chairs, as recommended by the Superintendent.

On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Sheri Senecal and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the Committee on Pre-School Special Education’s recommendations for the meetings held January 12 and January 19, 2022, submitted by Sarah Horaczek, CPSE Chair, as recommended by the Superintendent.

On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Sheri Senecal and unanimously accepted, the Board adopted the following policies, as recommended by the Superintendent:

  • Professional Growth/Staff Development
  • Regular Board Meetings and Rules (Quorum and Parliamentary Procedure)

On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Sheri Senecal and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the 2022 – 2023 School District Calendar, as recommended by the Superintendent.

On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Sheri Senecal and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the excision of Outdated Technology and Equipment, as outlined in the attached, submitted Kirsten DeMento, as recommended by the Superintendent.

Adjournment

On a motion by Heather Soroka seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board adjourned at 6:15 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Bernadette L. Boardman
Clerk of the Board