Members Present
Dr. Archer (attended remotely)
Mrs. Austin
Mrs. DeForest
Mr. Gross
Mr. Leach
Ms. McKenney
Mrs. Souser
Mr. Zoghby
Ms. Aljerari (Student Board Member)
Members Absent
Mrs. James Murad
Administration Present
Dr. Smith. Superintendent
Mr. Reyes, Assistant Superintendent
Mr. Franz, Assistant Superintendent
Mr. Furlong, Interim Business Administrator
Others in attendance: Susan Glisson, Ashley Carducci, Sheanna Martin Zombek, Theresa Razmjou, Katelyn Cosbey, Meghan Culligan, Nora Gross, Maci Stewart, Sarah Burgess, Adam Waichman, Stephanie Sindoni, Blaize Anthis, H. Bernard Alex, and Juli Keeler
Mrs. DeForest called the Board Meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. in the Library at Tecumseh Elementary School.
Presentation, Mrs. Carducci, Principal
Mrs. Carducci shared her presentation, what life looks like and feels like at Tecumseh Elementary School. She included student enrollment and demographic information, current staffing numbers and shared examples of how the Strategic Plan is being operationalized at Tecumseh. The first focus area she addressed was Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Mrs. Carducci explained how 18 teachers will have completed the CR-SE training by the end of the year and another three teachers have already signed up to take it during the summer. She said Tecumseh has representation on the District Equity Team. She also talked about a new initiative at Tecumseh, which includes a partnership with InterFaith Works. Tecumseh fourth grade students participate in student dialogue sessions led by InterFaith Works and Tecumseh staff. Mrs. Carducci shared a video of students talking about their experiences. Mrs. Carducci thanked the facilitators, Ms. Cassandra Hasbin, Ms. Christina Baker and Ms. Susan Glisson for their dedication and work. Next Mrs. Carducci shared information on work being done in the area of Curriculum and Programs. She said staff are continuing to put hard work in every day to support curriculum, intervention and data driven instruction. She thanked the Teachers on Special Assignment and said they are instrumental in the implementation of the new ELA resource. Mrs. Carducci spoke about Family and Community Engagement and said that Parent Square has been very successful for families especially the ability for translation to home languages. Mrs. Carducci said Tecumseh’s Cultural Fest will be taking placing on January 19th and that there has been great parent representation across all grade levels in the planning of this celebration. Mrs. Carducci also reviewed the Culture of Wellness focus area and provided examples of this at Tecumseh including school assemblies, lunch bunches, grade level buddies, character education and the sunshine cart. Lastly, Mrs. Carducci shared ways that all grades have been making a difference in the community including donations to the local VA hospital, “birthday bags” for the DeWitt Food Pantry, care packages for We Rise Above The Streets, the collection of winter items for Bellevue Elementary Schools and letters to veterans and soldiers. Mrs. Carducci thanked the Board for their support. (See Supplemental Minutes for presentation).
Red Ram Recognition
Mrs. DeForest recognized and congratulated:
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- High School JEDI Council members as well as Mr. Lawson. The Council focus is to give students a voice on issues surrounding justice, equity, diversity and inclusion,
- English as a New Language Teachers: Kathalyn Brazie, Megan Johnson and Kristine Wisnieski for creating a welcoming and inviting community for students and families who are new to learning English,
- J-D student athlete, Emily Bulone who coordinated volunteer events at VanDuyn Nursing Home and encouraged other student athletes to get involved,
- J-D Graduate Brie Hall who works and supports students and families in a variety of ways through the DeWitt Recreation Program, and
- Souser recognized J-D School Resource Officer Norton during National Law Enforcement Day, as well as all students and staff members who have family members in law enforcement.
Community Comment Time #1
Adam Waickman commented on overcrowding at Tecumseh and how it restricts activities and is disruptive for students.
Jean Leiker commented in support of hiring additional SRO’s in buildings and asked why we have not prioritized safety.
Tiffany Gratien commented in support of hiring additional SRO’s in buildings and asked the Board to make the right decision.
Sheana Martin Zombeck commented in support of hiring additional SRO’s, specifically at the Middle School and asked the Board to show students we are about their safety.
Stephanie Sindoni, parent and teacher at Jamesville Elementary School commented in support of additional SROs in buildings. She said this does not mean we would abandon focus on mental health.
Amanda Schleicher commented in support of SRO’s in all buildings and asked for concrete reasons why not.
Approve Consent Agenda
Mrs. Souser moved and Ms. McKenney seconded the approval of the Consent Agenda.
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- Superintendent’s Personnel Recommendations and New Substitute Appointments
- Minutes of the December 19, 2022 Board Meeting
Motion carried. (8-0-0)
Superintendent’s Personnel Recommendations – January 9, 2023
INSTRUCTIONAL
Appointments
Name and position: Jillian Fallis, ESL Teacher, probationary appointment (4 years), new position
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- Location: Tecumseh Elementary
- Salary: $27,715.38 – prorated for the remainder of the 2022-2023 school year (B-M+28)
- Certification: in process
- Effective: January 30, 2023
Name and position: Julia Holder, Teaching Assistant, probationary appointment (4 years), replacing M. Ziegler
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- Location: Moses DeWitt Elementary School
- Salary: $16,161.60 – prorated for the remainder of the 2022-2023 school year
- Certification: Teaching Assistant Level I
- Effective: January 10, 2023
Name and position: Diane MacMaster, Teaching Assistant, probationary appointment (4 years), replacing C. Sluis
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- Location: Middle School
- Salary: $16,924.32 – prorated for the remainder of the 2022-2023 school year
- Certification: Teaching Assistant Level II
- Effective: January 10, 2023
Extra Duty Assignment – Winter Coaching – 2022-2023 School Year
Name, assignment and stipend:
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- Rachel Setek, Boys Modified Swimming Coach, $3,046.00*
* Pending completion of the certification process
Request for Leave
Name, assignment, location, type of leave, and effective date:
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- Sunnet Placito-Raymond, Guidance Counselor, Middle School, unpaid, January 28, 2023 through June 30, 2023
Request for Retirement
Name, assignment, location, and effective date:
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- Amy LeStrange, School Counselor, High School, June 30, 2023
NONINSTRUCTIONAL
Appointments
Name, position, location, salary and effective date:
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- Mary Kay Brownson, Seasonal Grounds Worker, Custodial Department, $14.50/hr., January 10, 2023
- Mitzi Longway, Typist II, Middle School, $17.00/hr., provisional appointment, replacing M. Sherman, January 10, 2023
- Derek Widger, Custodial Worker I, Custodial Department, $18.30/hr., 52 week probationary appointment, replacing T. Vogt, January 10, 2023
Resignations:
Name, position, location, and effective date:
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- Julia Holder, Teacher Aide, Moses DeWitt Elementary School, January 9, 2023
- Mitzi Longway, Teacher Aide, Middle School, January 9, 2023
Board Policies – First Readings
Mr. Gross explained that the policy committee met on January 3rd and reviewed the following policies, which are coming to the board for a first reading:
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- 5681 School Safety Plans
- 6121 Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
- 7350 Corporal Punishment/Emergency Interventions
- 7522 Concussion Management
- 7530 Child Abuse and Maltreatment
Mr. Gross explained the changes/updates for each policy as received by the Erie 1 Policy Service. These policies will be brought back for a second reading at the next board meeting.
Potential Consideration for Future Meetings
There were no new topics to add to the list.
Budget Discussion, Debt Service
Mr. Furlong presented the Debt Service segment of the budget. He reviewed the 2023-24 Budget Calendar and then explained existing debt and proposed increases to pay for current and past capital projects. New debt coming on in the 2023-24 school year is necessary to pay for the current capital project. In addition, he also explained the proposed budget for the 23-24 capital outlay project. The Operations and Maintenance and Transportation portions of the budget will be reviewed at the next meeting. (See supplemental minutes).
Board Discussion – Safety, Dr. Smith
Mrs. DeForest led the discussion by asking the Board to jot down notes so the presentation can be presented without interruption. Mrs. DeForest stated that the purpose of the discussion is to identify priorities and in turn make recommendations to the administration.
Dr. Smith started out by reviewing the requests made to him at the December 19th BOE meeting.
The Board had asked about looking at a security audit to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. He said this is an opportunity for the District and can be done through an RFP process.
Dr. Smith said the Board asked about what a potential catastrophic incident might look like and he shared information on the work of Dr. Jaclyn Schildkraut, an associate professor of Criminal Justice at SUNY Oswego. Dr. Schildkraut’s work focuses on mass shootings at schools. He said that she is a national expert on school safety and has been to J-D as part of the work of the SRO Task Force. Dr. Smith suggested that the Board might want to engage her services in an effort to gain more information on the topic of school safety.
The Board had asked about the cost of additional personnel and/or security firms. Dr. Smith reported that he tried to contact a firm that does school safety in the CNY region and was unable to get in touch with anyone. He said he researched this and found out that no security firms do this type of work in this region and suggested that we remove this as an option. Dr. Smith said we currently utilize school monitors and a guard which cost the district between $20,000 and $30,000 per person. He added that an additional SPO or SRO would cost the district between $90,000 and $120,000 per person.
The Board asked for input from the District Equity Council. Reverend Bernard Alex read a statement from the District Equity Council. Members of the equity council are in favor of a police-free approach to school safety and rather would like to see the district invest in positive safety and climate measures. (See Supplemental Minutes).
Dr. Smith explained that additional data regarding student perceptions of the SRO and student safety in general could be gathered via a survey to all 12th grade students completed during their Student Government class.
Dr. Smith said the Board asked for additional opportunities for training for students, staff and administration. He said there is a significant list of potential trainings available. He said he would ask for recommended trainings to be part of a security audit.
The Board asked for information on interior/exterior door FOB’s and how they are programmed. Dr. Smith explained that access to exterior doors is based on roles within the district. For example, the Superintendent, Assistant Superintendents, and similar roles have access to the buildings at all times. Other staff are allowed access to specific buildings based on need. He said the use of FOB’s for interior doors is relatively new to the District based on installation during the recent capital project. Currently, FOB’s are organized at the High School by department and at the Middle School by house.
The Board asked if safety measures have negatively impacted school culture and climate and Dr. Smith said that data is not available, but could be part of a forthcoming school climate survey.
Dr. Smith reported on proposed initiatives including installation of panic/lock down buttons, which are part of Alyssa’s Law, FOB’s and labeling on all interior and exterior doors, expanded camera coverage and cellphone coverage in all interior spaces.
There was extensive Board discussion regarding the addition of more SRO’s and/or security in the buildings. When asked how the Board would move forward with a recommendation, Dr. Smith responded that an increase the number of SRO’s in the District would be a substantive change to the District Safety Plan and would require a presentation of the changes to the plan followed by a 30 day public comment period and then a vote by the board on the suggested revisions. If approved the district would engage the Town of DeWitt in the hiring process.
Ms. Aljerari, stated that as a student of color, recognizing that everyone has a different experience, she prioritizes safety over the feeling of comfort.
Mrs. DeForest asked which priorities the Board would like to pursue. Mrs. Austin stated she would like to see active shooter training for staff. Mr. Gross asked about whether there is an RFP for a security audit ready to go. Dr. Smith stated that an RFP has been developed. Mrs. Souser would like the staff to be surveyed about how they feel about safety in their buildings. Mrs. DeForest asked how much it would cost for interior and exterior FOB’s to be installed and what needs to be done to make sure cell service, internet accessibility and the public address systems are in place and functioning.
Ms. McKenney asked Dr. Smith what his thoughts on the best path would be. Dr. Smith shared his thoughts and said he agrees with a security audit to measure ourselves against a standard level of care. He said he appreciates that the board is coming from a place of caring and that enhancements need to be made, but that we need to do that in a measured way. He thinks a security audit is a critical piece. The elementary administration agrees that interior locks need to be fixed and that FOB’s would help to solve the problem of the exterior doors. He said he believes a panic button (Alyssa’s Law) buys time to get students and staff safe before an emergency can be mitigated. Dr. Smith said we need to not only be prepared for a shooter, but for all hazards. He thinks adding an SRO to the MS should be seriously considered as this would decrease response times to the elementary buildings. Dr. Smith said a safety audit is a crucial first step and that he would expect the results from a safety audit by the end of the school year. Dr. Smith reviewed the timeline again for the Board which includes a substantial revision to the safety plan which would initiate a 30 day public comment period followed by a Board vote.
Mr. Leach asked for Dr. Smith to make revisions to the safety plan and present them to the Board at the next meeting. Dr. Smith will do research and provide alternatives, such as one SRO at the Middle School and some combinations of SRO’s at the elementary schools, or an SRO at the Middle School and three different positions at the elementary schools.
Student Board Member Report, Ms. Aljerari
Ms. Aljerari provided the Board with a report which included information on what the Senior and Junior Class Officers have been organizing and taking part in this year, as well as upcoming events. She shared information about the J-D Model UN Club which recently took part in the CNYMUN conference. At that conference, three J-D students won awards of recognition. She also reported that the DECA Club attended a regional competition at LeMoyne College and qualified 17 students for the upcoming state competition in Rochester. Ms. Aljerari reported on the All County Music Festivals taking place through the winter and spring as well as upcoming events. (See Supplemental Minutes).
At 10:17 p.m. the Board took a five minute break and Ms. Aljerari was excused from the meeting.
Superintendent’s Report, Dr. Smith
Dr. Smith presented a report on the results of the ThoughtExchange which included a breakdown of participation, wordcloud showing highlighting the most often used words, the top rated thoughts, and themes used to organize thoughts. The survey asked for feedback on District communications and if they are in line with the Strategic Plan with the switch to Parent square. He said the vast majority of comments were centered on Parent square and the newly redesigned website. Dr. Smith said we need to do more education on Parent square for the community. The results of this ThoughtExchange will be published to the website. He ended his report by sharing upcoming events.
Ad Hoc Committee Report
Mr. Gross reported on the quarterly meeting with the Town of DeWitt. This meeting was attended by Mr. Gross, Ms. McKenney, Max Rucksdaschel, Sarah Klee Hood and Kieran Rigney from the Town Board. He said there is open communication at the meetings and that they talk about such things as the Klim Center.
Board President’s Report, Mrs. DeForest
Mrs. DeForest reported that Board members should be receiving two emails, one from Super Eval and one providing links. She asked the Board to complete the evaluation by the end of the day on January 18th so that the data can be provided before the next meeting. Mrs. DeForest asked if anyone was interested in donating toward the purchase of an ad for the High School musical. Mrs. DeForest shared upcoming fundraiser events.
Community Comment Time #2
Rachel Wagner commented on the Board discussion around safety and reminded Board members that they are not representative of the entire community. She encouraged conversations with the equity council and said we need to invest in counseling staff who are culturally competent and who represent our students.
Bernard Alex commented about a presentation he was invited to on school safety through the Syracuse City School District. The presentation was titled “Locks, Light, Out of Sight”, a three –part series, by CNN, which was filmed at SCSD. He asked if all teachers would recognize all students equitably.
Christiana Semabia commented on armed officers at every building and asked if that would give board members a feeling of relief. She said this is about the safety of black and brown students and their white peers and that the responsibility is for the safety of every one of our students.
Unfinished and Continuing Business
There was none.
At 10:51 p.m., Mr. Leach moved and Mrs. Souser seconded the motion to adjourn to Executive Session for the purpose of discussing the employment history of particular persons.
Motion carried. (8-0-0)
At 11:16 p.m., Mrs. Souser moved and Mrs. Austin seconded the motion to adjourn Executive Session.
Motion carried. (8-0-0)
At 11:17 p.m., Mr. Gross moved and Mrs. Souser seconded the motion to adjourn the meeting.
Motion carried. (8-0-0)
Respectfully submitted,
William Furlong
Interim Clerk of the Board
BOARD APPROVED: 1/23/23