The Board of Education’s regular meeting was called to order by President Jason Sanchez at 6:59 p.m. in the LGI at CVA.  The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all those present. 

Members Present

• Jason Sanchez, Pres.,

• Maggie Wesolowski, V. Pres.

• Jonathan Boucher,

• Travis Costin

• Pattie Day

• Valerie Day

• Matt Darrow

Members Absent

• None

Staff Present

• Jeremy M. Rich, Supt.

• James Humphrey

• Alaine Canestrari

• Richard Keeler

• James Mott

Guests Present  (those signing in)

• None

AGENDA CHANGES

Mr. Sanchez noted the following agenda changes.

Presentation

• Smart Schools Initiative – Phase II

Consent Agenda

B.  Acceptance of Resignations

• Vanessa Hatmaker, Food Service Helper - Effective 11/9/23

• Brittani Chadeayne, Teacher Aide - Effective 12/1/23

• Sarah Edwards, Teacher Aide - Effective 12/1/23

C. Approval of Request for Unpaid Leave of Absence

• Sherri Willsey, Teacher Aide - Effective 11/12/23

D. (f) Volunteer Coaching Appointments - 2023-2024:, Jordan Burger, Volunteer Wrestling Coach

D. (j) Substitute Appointments:, Donald Hoaglander, Retired Substitute - Effective 11/1/23, Huguette Henzel, Retired Substitute - Effective 11/15/23

D. (m) Tutors - As Needed:, Abigail Kelly

New Business

E. Acceptance of Donation, CVCSD Performing Arts Boosters Organization

• 15 Keyboards - Piano Classes at CVA - Value: $2,399.85

• 1 Digital Piano - Concerts in Jarvis Auditorium - Value: $3,432.50

PRESENTATION

Smart Schools Initiative – Phase II

• Mr. Humphrey reported the District was previously a recipient of a $2.9 million upgrade for a building project in 2017-2018.  Mr. Humphrey stated that approximately $1.7 million remains for security upgrade purposes and explained how money will be allocated and what improvements will be made for security purposes. 

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Superintendent’s Report

• Guardians of Freedom Memorial

• Hosting of Sectional Games

• Cabaret

• Athletic Coordinator’s Report

• Fall Sports

• Weekly Updates

• Mr. Rich discussed the Guardians of Freedom Memorial monument, how students took part in the ceremony, and the next steps involved.  Mr. Rich discussed the use of facilities for sectional games.  Mr. Rich described the Cabaret as remarkable and acknowledged the tremendous amount of music involved.  Mr. Rich shared highlights of the weekly updates provided to the Board.  Additional topics included the grant for Jarvis for Fuller Park and how this could benefit the school.  Planning of professional development for the Board of Education was also discussed.  The Board discussed the Babe DelGrego Student Athlete Fund and provided feedback regarding processes to implementation. 

• Mr. Mott discussed the Athletic Coordinator’s Report and discussed the new Tri-Valley League mandate regarding split sports seasons and the inability to shop out of league.  Other topics included team progress, Huddle camera abilities, scoreboard updates, as well as the action plan for the football team which was implemented.  Mr. Mott acknowledged students and staff in various departments for their efforts at athletic events including the Transportation, Buildings and Grounds, and the Digital Media Team Departments.

• Mr. Richard Keeler discussed his recent experiences in Washington, which he was invited to as recipient of the SAANYS NYS Secondary School Principal of the Year and NASSP NYS Principal of the Year Award.  Mr. Keeler shared similar feedback he heard from other states regarding mental health needs for students, vaping concerns, addiction treatment, and disciplinary response to these needs.  He discussed Central Valley Academy’s current needs related to this and ideas he received while in Washington. 

(Copy of information on file in District Clerk’s files.)

Administrative Reports

The Board was provided with the Administrative Reports for their review.  Mr. Rich explained that these reports are utilized to provide updates on engagement, safety plans, curriculum, as well as a synopsis of what is happening per building.  Mr. Rich reported that Mrs. Sally McCann-Kramas, Director of Human Resources, has provided additions to the report.  Quarterly reports are provided by other departments including Facilities, Transportation, and Food Service.

(Copy of reports on file in District Clerk’s files.)

Business Official’s Report

Mr. Humphrey provided the Board with the Business Official’s report for their review.  Mr. Humphrey discussed the affidavits, updates regarding the STAR process, and stated the District had a smooth year with revenue flowing well.  Mr. Sanchez inquired about scheduling a Budget Workshop, consistent with prior years, which members of the Board were agreeable to.  Grant funds from COVID were discussed with plans to start evaluating and gaining feedback regarding programs and curriculum.   Mr. Rich discussed program funding such as Connected Community Schools and explained that state legislators will be coming to CVA to gain further education regarding the program and it’s implementation.  Mr. Rich, Mr. Humphrey, and members of the Board discussed additional programs and areas of need where expenditures and budget will be reviewed.

(Copy of reports on file in District Clerk’s files.)

BOARD DISCUSSION

• Mr. Costin asked if the District had a peer role model program.  He provided an example where it may be useful such as with students addicted to vaping; Mr. Rich identified the Athletic Leadership Council as a potential resource for this.  Members of the Board and Administrators discussed various topics related including county programs, restorative practices, peer mediation, and mentor programs. 

• Mr. Costin inquired if the District has any current communications with graduates/alumni that highlights current employment and allows current students to network. 

• Mr. Sanchez expressed his appreciation for Mr. Dominick Mauro, School Food Service Director, for his vision of the cafeteria and the work being implemented.  Mr. Rich discussed the processes for the Bistro and identified that approximately 70% of students eat school lunch every day and plan for succession was discussed.

• Mrs. Valerie Day inquired regarding the timeline of approving coaches on the Board agenda and Mr. Rich explained the processes in place currently.

• Mrs. Pattie Day inquired about unified teams.  Mr. Rich explained these teams are made up of special education and general education students.  The Board discussed specifics of the team and Mrs. Pattie Day expressed interest in seeing more about this program and increasing exposure.

PUBLIC OPEN FORUM

There was no public participation this evening.

ITEMS REMOVED FROM CONSENT AGENDA FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION

There were no items removed from the consent agenda for individual consideration.

CONSENT AGENDA

Approval of Minutes

Upon the recommendation of Superintendent Jeremy M. Rich, on a motion made by Maggie Wesolowski, seconded by Travis Costin, the Board approved the following minutes.  Motion carried 7-0.

• Regular Meeting – October 18, 2023

(Copy of minutes on file in District Clerk’s files.)

Acceptance of Resignations

Upon the recommendation of Superintendent Jeremy M. Rich, on a motion made by Maggie Wesolowski, seconded by Travis Costin, the Board approved the following resignations.  Motion carried 7-0.

• Vanessa Hatmaker, Food Service Helper, Effective 11/9/23

• Jonathon Brown, Building Cleaner, Effective 11/10/23

• Amy Condon, Teacher Assistant, Effective 12/1/23

• Brittani Chadeayne, Teacher Aide, Effective 12/1/23

• Sarah Edwards, Teacher Aide, Effective 12/1/23

• Dominick Mauro, School Food Service Director I, Effective 12/6/23

(Copy of resignations on file in District Clerk’s files.)

Approval of Request for Unpaid Leave of Absence

Upon the recommendation of Superintendent Jeremy M. Rich, on a motion made by Maggie Wesolowski, seconded by Travis Costin, the Board approved the following unpaid leave of absence requests.  Motion carried 7-0.

• Frank Torres, Building Cleaner, Eff. 10/23/23 until further notice

• Sherri Willsey, Teacher Aide, Effective 11/12/23

Approval of Personnel Appointments/Adjustments

Upon the recommendation of Superintendent Jeremy M. Rich, on a motion made by Maggie Wesolowski, seconded by Travis Costin, the Board approved the following Personnel Appointments/Adjustments.  Motion carried 7-0.

Non-Instructional Appointments –  Permanent:

• Dominick Mauro, School Food Service Director I, Effective 11/21/23

• Jacqueline Morehouse, Food Service Helper, Effective 11/27/23

• Dorina Byard, School Bus Monitor, Effective 12/17/23

• Shelia Morey, School Bus Monitor, Effective 12/24/23

Non-Instructional Appointments:

• Mary Thorp, Fitness Center Worker, Effective 10/30/23

Non-Instructional Appointments –  Six-Month Probationary:

• Diana Johns, Building Cleaner – COND, Effective 11/1/23

• Jesse Dedla, Building Cleaner, Effective 10/30/23

Non-Instructional Appointment – Long-Term Substitute:

• Sherri Willsey, LTS Licensed Practical Nurse LPN, Effective 11/13/23

Coaching Appointments – 2023-2024:  

• Boys Varsity Basketball, Lucas Judd      

• Boys JV Basketball, Marc Smith        

• Boys Mod. Basketball - B, Josh Panko   

• Boys Mod. Basketball - W, Eric Moreau              

• Boys Varsity Bowling, Anthony Bonvino

• Boys JV Volleyball, TBD

• Boys Varsity Wrestling, Robert Bush     

• Boys Var. Wrestling Asst., Jeff Mower       

• Boys JV Wrestling, Justin Seifred  

• Boys Mod. Wrestling, Jon Cole           

• Boys Indoor Track, Charles Maxson 

• Unified Basketball, Rich Schoff      

• Unified Bowling, Joe Patrei     

• Girls Var. Basketball, Rich Schoff          

• Girls JV Basketbal, David Ryan

• Girls Mod. Basketball - B, TBD

• Girls Mod. Basketball - W, Steve Sestir

• Girls Varsity Volleyball, Jennifer Hand

• Girls Mod. Volleyball - B, Brian Lasowski

• Girls Mod. Volleyball - W, Bill Holland

• Girls Varsity Bowling, TBD

• Girls Indoor Track, Chris French

• Asst. Indoor Track, Jane Connors

• Varsity Cheerleading, Shannon Darrow

• JV Cheerleading, Claire Orendorf

Volunteer Coaching Appointments – 2023-2024:

• James Judd, Volunteer Boys Basketball Coach

• Thad Luke, Volunteer Boys Basketball Coach

• Frank Spatto, Volunteer Girls Volleyball Coach

• Michael Barse, Volunteer Wrestling Coach

• David Bello, Volunteer Wrestling Coach

• Jordan Burger, Volunteer Wrestling Coach

• Tim Rathbun, Volunteer Wrestling Coach

Substitute Appointments – October 2023 – BOCES Sub Service:

• Kiera Aulisi

• Bryce Daskiewich

• Darryl Krutz

• Kendra Kuehnle

• Norman Mitchell

• Debra Palmisano

• Sarah Rood

• Michelle Stagliano-Blais

• Gary Sutton

• Delvina Talarico

• AnnMarie Viti

Rescind Substitutes Approval – October 2023 – BOCES Sub Service:

• Wayne Seifred

• Jacob Smithling

Substitute Appointments – November 2023 – BOCES Sub Service:

• Shelby Burns

• Mariah Conover

• Stefany Lyall

• Jonah Tangorra

Substitute Appointments:

• Donald Hoaglander, Retired Substitute, Effective 11/1/23

• Huguette Henzel, Retired Substitute, Effective 11/15/23

Volunteer Appointments:

• Elizabeth Hoffman, Fisher Elementary School Volunteer

• Justin Hoffman, Fisher Elementary School Volunteer

• Melissa Virkler, Fisher Elementary School Volunteer

Extracurricular Appointments 2023-2024:

• Athletic Leadership Council Club , Jane Connors

• Athletic Leadership Council Club, Jonna Costin

Tutors – As Needed:

• Abigail Kelly

• Jodi Marusic

• Elizabeth Nemitz

• Allison Paravati

• Stephanie Szratter

Approval of Financial Reports 

Upon the recommendation of Superintendent Jeremy M. Rich, on a motion made by Maggie Wesolowski, seconded by Travis Costin, the Board approved the following financial reports.  Motion carried 7-0.

• Financial Reports – October 2023

• Cash Account Summary – October 2023

• Internal Claims Auditors Log Summaries – October 2023

• Extracurricular Summary Report – October 2023

(Copy of reports on file in District Clerk’s files.)

OLD BUSINESS

Approval of Revision of Effective Resignation Date

Upon the recommendation of Superintendent Jeremy M. Rich, on a motion made by Matt Darrow, seconded by Maggie Wesolowski, the Board approved the revision of the following resignation date.  Mr. Rich provided an update regarding how this vacancy is being covered.  Motion carried 7-0.

• Caitlin Keeler, School Nurse, Effective 10/13/23

(Copy of resignation on file in District Clerk’s files.)

Approval of Policy Revision – Section 1000 Community Relations

Upon the recommendation of Superintendent Jeremy M. Rich, on a motion made by Pattie Day, seconded by Valerie Day, the Board approved revisions to the following policy.  Mr. Rich explained that revisions were made to delegate supervision of community use of the facilities in the event a staff is not available.  Motion carried 7-0.

• #1001 – Community Use of School Facilities

(Copy of policy on file in District Clerk’s files.)

NEW BUSINESS

Approval of Arrangement of Services – CSE/CPSE/504 Accommodation Plan Meetings

Upon the recommendation of Superintendent Jeremy M. Rich, on a motion made by Matt Darrow, seconded by Maggie Wesolowski the Board approved the arrangement of services for the following CSE/CPSE/504 Accommodation Plan Meetings.  Motion carried 7-0.

• October 2, 2023

• October 3, 2023

• October 4, 2023

• October 5, 2023

• October 10, 2023

• October 11, 2023

• October 17, 2023

• October 19, 2023

• October 20, 2023

• October 23, 2023

• October 24, 2023

• October 26, 2023

• October 27, 2023

(Copy of minutes on file in District Clerk’s files.)

Approval of Agreement for Interim Services

Upon the recommendation of Superintendent Jeremy M. Rich, on a motion made by Travis Costin, seconded by Valerie Day, the Board approved the following agreement for interim services.  Motion carried 7-0.

• Dominick Mauro, Interim School Food Service Director I,  Effective 12/7/23-6/30/24

(Copy of report on file in District Clerk’s files.)

Approval of Return of Unpaid Taxes to Herkimer County Treasurer for Collection

Upon the recommendation of Superintendent Jeremy M. Rich, on a motion made by Valerie Day, seconded by Maggie Wesolowski, the Board approved the return of unpaid taxes to Herkimer County Treasurer for collection.  Motion carried 7-0.

(Copy of information on file in District Clerk’s files.)

Approval of NYSPHSAA Section III Combining Contracts

Upon the recommendation of Superintendent Jeremy M. Rich, on a motion made by Matt Darrow, seconded by Maggie Wesolowski, the Board approved the following combining contract.  Mrs. Valerie Day inquired how many students we had participating and Mr. Rich stated CVCSD had one student who would be playing. Motion carried 7-0.

• Varsity Boys Ice Hockey with Notre Dame Jr/Sr High School

(Copy of contract on file in District Clerk’s files.)

Approval of Donations

Upon the recommendation of Superintendent Jeremy M. Rich, on a motion made by Matt Darrow, seconded by Pattie Day, the Board accepted the following donations.  Motion carried 7-0.

• First Presbyterian Church, Brandy Vogel, School Nurse – Fisher Elementary School, Value: $200.00 for Discretionary Use

• The CVCSD Foundation, Jarvis Middle School Character Breakfast Initiative, Value: $500.00

• CVCSD Performing Arts Boosters Organization:

  • 15 Keyboards for the Piano Classes at CVA, Value: $2,399.85

  • 1 Digital Piano for Concerts in the Jarvis Auditorium, Value: $3,432.50

(Copy of information on file in District Clerk’s files.)

Approval of Disposal of Surplus Goods

Upon the recommendation of Superintendent Jeremy M. Rich, on a motion made by Maggie Wesolowski, seconded by Valerie Day, the Board approved the disposal of surplus goods.  Mr. Coston inquired what would be done with the vehicles and Mr. Humphrey explained they would be sold on Auctions International.  Motion carried 7-0.

• 2009 Ford F350; VIN: 1FTWF31549EB25717 – Per Department of Facilities as of 10/30/23

• 2008 Ford F350; VIN: 1FTWF31528EE57377 – Per Department of Facilities as of 11/8/23

(Copy of information on file in District Clerk’s files.)

Approval of Memorandum of Agreement with CVTA

Upon the recommendation of Superintendent Jeremy M. Rich, on a motion made by Travis Costin, seconded by Matt Darrow, the Board approved the following Memorandum of Agreement with CVTA.  Mr. Rich explained compensation rates and scenarios that qualify a coach within the agreement.  Motion carried 7-0.

• Language Amendment for Coaching Compensation Post-Season

(Copy of agreement on file in District Clerk’s files.)

Approval of Memorandum of Agreements with CVUE

Upon the recommendation of Superintendent Jeremy M. Rich, on a motion made by Maggie Wesolowski, seconded by Pattie Day, the Board approved the following Memorandum of Agreements with CVUE.  Mr. Darrow inquired why these needs are arising when contracts were recently settled.  Mr. Rich explained that agreements were based on specific needs of position titles that had not been hired since the merger.  Mr. Rich explained the history of the language in agreements and how the revisions transpired.  Motion carried 7-0.

• Holiday and Vacation Day Assignment Procedure for Specific Types of Office Assistants

• Paid Holidays & Paid Sick Time

• Personal Days

(Copy of agreements on file in District Clerk’s files.)

Approval of Resolution for Emergency Health Hazard Pesticide Application – Athletic Fields

Upon the recommendation of Superintendent Jeremy M. Rich, on a motion made by Travis Costin, seconded by Matt Darrow, the Board approved the resolution for emergency health hazard pesticide application for athletic fields.  Motion carried 7-0.

(Copy of resolution on file in District Clerk’s files.)

Approval of Proposed Type II SEQRA Resolution for The Smart Schools District-Wide Security Project

Upon the recommendation of Superintendent Jeremy M. Rich, on a motion made by Valerie Day, seconded by Travis Costin, the Board approved the proposed Type II SEQRA Resolution for The Smart Schools District-Wide Security Project.  Motion carried 7-0.

(Copy of resolution on file in District Clerk’s files.)

Approval of Corrective Action Plan for Extra-Classroom Activity Fund

Upon the recommendation of Superintendent Jeremy M. Rich, on a motion made by Maggie Wesolowski, seconded by Travis Costin, the Board approved the Corrective Action Plan for the Extra-Classroom Activity Fund.  Motion carried 7-0.

• Per 2022-2023 Independent Audit Report

(Copy of plan on file in District Clerk’s files.)

NEXT MEETING:, December 20, 2023 – Regular Meeting

Mr. Rich discussed the processes of the Thought Exchange that was released to gain community feedback regarding supervision at athletic games and events.  Mr. Rich further explained Thought Exchange, how it works, and answered questions pertaining to the algorithm it utilizes.

ADJOURNMENT

On a motion made by Matt Darrow, seconded by Valerie Day, the Board adjourned their regular meeting at 9:13 p.m.  Motion carried 7-0.

Stacey Gurtowski, District Clerk