Sept. 16, 2020, Board of Education meeting

The Public Hearing meeting was called to order at 6 p.m.; and the Pledge of Allegiance was said. No public comment was heard. A short recess was observed.

The regular meeting was called to order at 6:05 p.m. at the Herkimer J r. /Sr. High School Media Center by President Brian Crandall.

President Crandall explained the BOE welcomes public comment and community input at meetings. However, we caution that we are not authorized to engage in conversations pertaining to individual students, faculty, staff or administrators. Topics of this nature may only be discussed during executive session and must be coordinated with the Superintendent of Schools prior to a BOE meeting.

Public Comment

No public comment was heard.

Approval of the Agenda

Mr. Petucci moved and Mr. Lewis seconded a motion to formally approve the consent agenda. All voted in favor; motion carried 7:0.

Board Communication

Superintendent Miller indicated that the Board received several informational items that were not include i n the Board packet for information only and noted they will be referred to later in the meeting. Ms. Gilbert moved and Ms. Bray seconded a motion to place all appropriate Board Communications on file with the District Clerk. All voted in favor; motion carried 7:0.

Approval of the Minutes

Ms. Bray moved and Ms. Fischer seconded a motion to formally approve the Regular Board of Education Meeting minutes from Wednesday, August 12, 2020. All voted in favor; motion carried 7:0. Ms. Fischer moved and Mr. Lewis seconded a motion to formally
approve the Special Board of Education Meeting minutes from Friday, August 28, 2020. Mr. Petucci abstaining motion carried 6:0:1.

Business Report

Upon recommendation of Superintendent Miller, on a motion made by Ms. Bray, seconded by Mr. Petucci, the BO E accepts receipt of the August Revenue Status Report, Appropriation Status Report, General Warrant totaling $372,379.77, Capital Warrant totaling
$757,307.36, Federal Warrant totaling $1,840.00, Trust and Agency Warrant totaling
$165,419.51 and one Budget Transfer u nder the $5,000 total. The Board of Education also accepted receipt of an updated capital project change order listing. All voted in favor; motion carried 7:0. [Material filed in the supplemental file dated 9-16-2020]

Bassett Medical Center Occupational Health Services Agreement

Ms. Fischer moved and Ms. Gilbert seconded the following Board resolution:

“BE IT RESOLVED, upon the recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools, that the Board of Education hereby accepts the agreement between Bassett Medical Center and the Herkimer Central School District to provide health services; and,

WHEREAS, it is the Districts desire to enter into this agreement from August 19, 2020 thru December 31, 2021; per the terms and conditions of the agreement.”

All voted in favor; motion carried 7-0. [Material filed in the supplemental file dated 9-16-2020]

TREATY Program of Catholic Charities of Herkimer Co.

Ms. Bray moved and Ms. Fischer seconded the following Board resolution:

“BE IT RESOLVED, the Herkimer CSD has agreed upon the TREATY programming set forth herein and enters into such an agreement with Catholic Charities of Herkimer County during the 2020-2021 school year.

WHEREAS, it is the Districts desire to enter into this agreement for the 2020-2021 school year; per the terms and conditions of the agreement”.

All voted in favor; motion carried 7-0. [Material filed in the supplemental file dated 9-16-20].

District and Building Level Safety Plan Resolution

Ms. Gilbert moved and Ms. Fischer seconded the following Board resolution:

“BE IT RESOLVED, upon the recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools, that the Board of Education hereby adopts the District-wide and Building Level Safety Plan for the state Education Department.”

All voted in favor; motion carried 7-0.

Valley Health Services Agreement

Ms. Fischer moved and Mr. Petucci seconded the following Boa rd resolution :

“BE IT RESOLVED, upon the recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools, that the Board of Education hereby accepts the agreement between the Valley Health Services and the Herkimer Central School District to provide advanced planning for an emergency evacuation for the Valley Health Service Residents in a case where a disaster takes place and warrants and evacuation; and,

WHEREAS, it is the Districts desire to enter into this agreement from September 23, 2020 thru September 22, 2021; per the terms and conditions of the agreement.”

All voted in favor; motion carried 7-0. [Material filed in the supplemental file dated 9-16- 2020]

Superintendent Report

Superintendent’s Update

School opened with grades 3-5 in attendance for in person instruction on September 3. In
person instruction began for Grades K-2, 6 and half of 7-12 were in attendance on September 8 with the other half of 7-12 in remote instruction. We have worked out many of the kinks of the transportation issues but still have a few issues remaining and are
finalizing the schedules now. I want to thank staff, parents and especially students for making the opening two weeks of school successful.

The district is honing its Department of Health reporting procedures for COVID 19 as the state adjusts the information that they have requested. We have knowledge of three negative tests of students and 1negative tests of an employee. We have no self or DOH reported positive cases of COVID 19 since the start of school. Administration and school nurses continue to work with the school medical director, the department of health and individual healthcare providers to navigate illnesses in school for staff and students.

The state is holding back 20% of state aid or about $2.6 million dollars. They have not announced this as an aid cut as of yet. If the cut is indeed an additional $2 million from
what the district budgeted for we will need to reduce spending or use fund balance to get through the year. I will have a better projection of fund balance use or budget reductions required in October.

Cleaners are using approved COVID 19 cleaning solutions to clean rooms nightly. Touch surfaces are cleaned routinely throughout the day. We have created a log system for cleaners and custodians to verify cleaning of their spaces. Mr. McKernan is with us, virtually tonight to answer questions.

BOCES Vote to approve the purchase of Remington is September 29. We will schedule a test of our remote instruction plan for that day for high school/middle school) to see how well our system works for the shift and to allow for voting to take place without public student interaction.

We will be revamping our school calendar to account for remote instruction taking place on snow days and accounting for Juneteenth the new state holiday in June. I should have the calendar ready in the next week or so and published to the website soon.

Athletics are set to begin September 21 with fall I sports soccer, cross country, tennis and field hockey beginning. Coaches meeting Sunday night with practices beginning Monday the 21 for varsity and modified beginning Wednesday September 23. Football and cheer have been moved to Fall II in March. Practice and play will have to be carried out under return to play guidelines from DOH.

Administrative Reports

Mr. Abbe, and Ms. Tomaso’s spoke about schools reopening. Ms. Paragi’s report presented was regarding summer school.

Staffing Recommendations

Teaching Resignations

Name: White, Holly

Position: Licensed Teaching Assistant

Effective Date: Sept. 8, 2020

Name: Barreto, Beatriz

Position: Long-Term Substitute

Effective Date: Aug. 31, 2020

Non-Teaching Resignation

Name: Farrington, Sherry

Position: District Clerk

Effective Date: Sept. 14, 2020

Teaching Appointment Amended

(BOE Meeting 8-12-20)

To the extent required by the applicable provisions of Education Law Section 2509, 2573, 3213 and 3014, in order to be granted tenure, the classroom teacher or building principal shall have received composite or overall annual professional performance review ratings pursuant to Education Law 3012-d of either effective or highly effective in at least (3) of the four (4) preceding years. I f the classroom teacher or building principal receives an ineffective composite or overall rating i n the final year of the probationary period, he or she shall not be eligible for tenure at that time. For purposes of this subdivision, classroom teacher and building principal mea n a classroom teacher or building principal as such terms are defined in Sections 30-2.2 and 30-3.2 of the Part.

Name: Paul, Heather

Tenure Area: School Counselor

Effective Date: Sept. 1, 2020

Expiration Date of Probationary Appointment: Aug. 31, 2023

Salary: Step 12 per the 2020-21 HFA Contract

Substitute Appointment

Name: Bello, Brianne

Position: 0.5 Long-Term Substitute

Location: High School Media Center

Salary: $205/day (pro-rated)

Name: Krutz, Darryl

Position: Substitute Teacher

Effective Date: July 1, 2020-June 30, 2021

Salary: $110 per diem basis

LTA Appointment

Name: Barreto, Beatriz

Position: Licensed Teaching Assistant

Effective Date: Sept. 1, 2020

Salary: $24,750

Maternity Leave Request

Name: Owens, Chelsea

Effective on or before: Jan. 31, 2021

Anticipated leave approx. 6-8 weeks pending physician release

Extra-curricular Appointments

  • Laura Scalise, Senior High Student Council Advisor (Salary: $2,300)
  • Brooke Jones, Senior High Student Council Assistant (Salary: $1,700)
  • Kristin Smith, Senior Class Advisor (Salary: $2,070)
  • Heather McCutcheon, Junior Class Advisor (Salary: $1,520)
  • Melissa Elias, Sophomore Class Advisor (Salary: $1,520)
  • Ryan Orilio, Yearbook/Technical Advisor (Salary: $2,300)
  • Brianne Bello, Yearbook/Financial Advisor (Salary: $2,300)
  • Caroline Lampert, Senior National Honor Society (Salary: $1,370)
  • Susan Hayes-Manning, Junior National Honor Society (Salary: $1,370)
  • Cheryl Jory, Sixth Grade Advisor (Salary: $1,520)
  • Jennifer Baily, Seventh Grade Advisor (Salary: $760)
  • Shannon Harris, Seventh Grade Co-Advisor (Salary: $760)
  • Dana McGraw, Middle School Yearbook (Salary: $1,520)

2020-21 College Now Instructor Appointments

Salary: Per HFA Contract $300 per course

  • Brooke Jones
    • English I: College Writing (Fall)
    • English II: Intro to Literature (Spring)
  • Heather McCutcheon
    • Intro to Computer Graphics & Design (Fall)
    • Intro to Ceramics (Spring)
  • Leah Zorn
    • Drawing (Fall)
    • Painting (Spring)
  • Meyer, Chanel
    • Spanish I (Fall)
    • Spanish II (Spring)
  • Wolanski, Hollie
    • Pre-Calculus (full year)
    • Calculus (full year)
  • Rosenburgh, Chester Eddy
    • Statistics (Spring)
  • Watkins, Matthew
    • Public Speaking (Fall and Spring)
  • Scalise, Laura
    • Psychology (Fall)

2020-21 Mentor Appointments

  • Kelly Abounader-Dunham, mentor (salary: $1,200); Heather Paul, mentee (school counselor)
  • Melissa Elias, mentor (salary: $1,200); Chantel Meyer, mentee (Spanish teacher)
  • Cheryl Jory, mentor (salary: $1,200); Hayley Oliver, mentee (Special Education)

Remote Instruction Appointment

  • Names: Deborah Knowlton, Kelly Koegel, Sarah Ward
  • Position: Remote instruction for 1 hour per day on an as-needed basis
  • Salary: $45/hour

2020-21 Fall I Interscholastic Coaching Appointments

  • Vanessa Jecko, girls varsity soccer (salary: $3,350)
  • Marissa Crandall, girls modified soccer (salary: $1,950)
  • Chester E. Rosenburgh, boys varsity soccer (salary: $3,350)
  • Ryan Judd, boys modified soccer (salary: $1,950)
  • Melissa Elias, varsity/modified cross-country (salary: $3,350)
  • Scott Clarke, cross-country assistant coach (salary: $2,100)
  • Alan Steele, girls varsity tennis (salary: $2,150)
  • Samantha Spanfelner, field hockey (salary: $2,150)
  • Marissa Maldonado, modified field hockey (salary: $1,950)

Appointments are conditioned upon a sufficient number of schools participating to merit a season with sufficient student participation to field a team.

2020-21 Fall I Interscholastic Unpaid Coaching Appointment

  • Patrick Green, boys varsity soccer (unpaid assistant)
  • Amanda Leskovar, varsity field hockey (unpaid assistant

Appointments are conditioned upon a sufficient number of schools participating to merit a season with sufficient student participation to field a team.

Staffing Recommendations

Ms. Fischer moved and Mr. Petucci seconded a motion to table agenda item 10.b Staffing Recommendations.

CSE/CPSE Program/Placement Recommendations

Upon recommendation from Superintendent Miller, on a motion made by Mr. Petucci, seconded by Mr. Lewis the BO E approved the Committee on Special Education, the Sub­ Committee on Special Education and the Committee on Preschool Special Education program/placement recommendations as presented. All voted in favor; motion carried 7-0.

Board of Education Reports

President’s Update

President Crandall thanked staff and students for all their hard work to reopen school.

Board of Education member updates

Upcoming SBI events will be virtual.

Future Meeting Dates/Agenda Items

The next scheduled BO E meeting will be on Wednesday, October 14, 20 0 at 6 p.m. The policy committee will meet again on Wednesday, October 14, 2020 at 5 p.m.

Meeting Evaluation

M r. Mihevc, this evening’s meeting evaluator, presented his review of the September 16, 2020, Boa rd of Education meeting.

Executive Session

Ms. Gilbert moved and Ms. Bray seconded a motion to move into Executive Session for the purpose of discussing promotion, retention, litigation and negotiation with HFA. All voted i n favor; motion carried 7-0.

The Board moved into Executive Session at 7:32 p.m. The Board exited Executive Session at 8:24 p.m.

President Crandall declared the public meeting reconvened at 8:2Sp.m.

Ms. Fischer moved and Mr. Petucci seconded a motion to remove agenda item 10.b Staffing Recommendations from the table.

M r. Lewis moved and Ms. Fischer seconded a motion to accept the staffing as presented; motion carried 7-0. [Material filed in the supplemental file dated 9-16-20].

Upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, and on motion by Mr. Petucci, Seconded by Ms. Fischer, it is hereby

Resolved, that a Settlement Agreement regarding a severance from employment and a resolution of a matter in litigation be approved and the Superintendent authorized to execute the agreement on behalf of the Board. All voted i n favor; motion carried 7-0.

Adjournment

On a motion made by Ms. Gilbert and seconded by Ms. Bray the BOE adjourned the public meeting at 8:28 p.m. All voted in favor 7:0.

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