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North Babylon Board of Eduation Meeting 2/12/26 — Transcript

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0:05That's always where the flag is.
0:07>> That's where it should be.
0:08>> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the
0:11United States of America and to the
0:14republic for which it stands, one nation
0:17under God, indivisible, with liberty and
0:20justice for all.
0:28Aaron, can we get a roll call, please?
0:33>> Mrs. Roland
0:34>> here.
0:35>> Mr. Luchetti
0:36>> here.
0:37>> Mr. Myers
0:38>> here.
0:38>> Mrs. Rivers
0:39>> here.
0:39>> Mr. Shide
0:40>> here.
0:40>> Mrs. Tedesco
0:41>> here.
0:42>> And Miss Carson.
0:48Correspondence to the board.
0:51>> Please look to see if your name is
0:52there. If it's not, please see Mrs.
0:55Aristy after the meeting.
0:58I need a motion to approve the minutes
1:00from January 15th and January 27th.
1:05>> All in favor?
1:07>> Any opposed? Any abstensions? Motion
1:10carries.
1:12Brings us to the superintendent report
1:14presentation. Dr. Graham.
1:16>> Thank you, Miss Roland. I'm going to uh
1:20pass the microphone right over to Amaya
1:22for the report from our student board
1:24member.
1:26>> Good afternoon. I'm excited to share
1:27some updates and accomplishments from
1:29the high school today. Tomorrow is PS I
1:31love you day, a day dedicated to raising
1:33awareness about mental health. Students
1:35and faculty are encouraged to wear
1:36purple in support of the day. There will
1:38be a special video made by the TV studio
1:40club of students spreading kindness
1:42throughout the day. On March 2nd to
1:44March 3rd, sophomores will participate
1:46in challenge day, an event designed to
1:50build empathy and connections between
1:51students and faculty alike. In good
1:54news, North Babylon High School received
1:56AP bronze honor role from College Board
1:58for the 2024 2025 academic year. Over
2:0140% of graduates took at least one AP
2:04and over 25% earned a three or higher.
2:06As AP culture continues to grow at North
2:08Babylon, I hope the amount of
2:09opportunities for advanced classes will
2:11continue as well. While interviewing
2:13students for this report, many reported
2:14wanting more APs that cater to their
2:16future majors like AP macro and
2:18microeconomics and AP physics 2. In
2:21sports news, Sage Smith broke the 10,000
2:24meter indoor track and field school
2:25record during state qualifiers. Jordan
2:28Peek also qualified for states in the 55
2:30meter hurdles for the third time.
2:32Additionally, the boys wrestling and
2:34boys track and field were named league
2:36champions in their respective divisions.
2:39In art news, last week the Shookup
2:41musical was a major hit with both days
2:43reporting a large showing of attendees.
2:44A special thanks to the performers,
2:46technical group, and faculty for putting
2:48on an amazing show. Looking ahead, the
2:50Black History Month program will be on
2:52the 25th. The program will include
2:54historical presentations, a musical
2:56performance by the high school's own
2:58singing group, The Forest 5, a fashion
3:01walk, and a dance performance by our
3:02dancing team. Thank you.
3:08Thank you, Amaya. And I believe we have
3:11two students from Robert Moses Middle
3:12School here this evening. Do we have
3:14Kenya Parker and Danielle Grant here?
3:16Come on up, girls.
3:20[applause]
3:21And you guys go right to the microphone
3:23by Miss Hassandress. Okay.
3:44Good evening board members,
3:46administrators, and community members.
3:48My name is Kenya Parker, and I am an
3:50eighth grade student and member of the
3:52Robert Moses student equity team.
3:54Tonight I am going to share with you
3:56some of the many events that have taken
3:58place this month at Robert Middle
4:00School. Sixth and seventh grade parents
4:03were invited in for an evening
4:05informational session to learn more
4:06about the advanced classes that we
4:08offer. They heard from the principles
4:10and directors about criteria and
4:12expectations for these courses, some of
4:15which are for high school credit. The
4:18presentation is available on parent
4:19square and our website if you were not
4:21able to attend. Members of our school's
4:24color garden kick line attended ballet
4:26Hispanico's performance of Carmen at the
4:29tile center for performing arts
5:02Check. Check.
5:04>> It's all right.
5:06>> Students were immersed in a professional
5:08dance production while they learned
5:10about the history and story behind the
5:12show. The Long Island Crisis Center
5:14visited our sixth, seventh, and eighth
5:16grade classrooms to support student
5:18mental health and healthy relationships.
5:20Sixth grade students were educated on
5:22mental health awareness. Seventh graders
5:25learned about managing emotions. and
5:27eighth graders learned about cyber
5:29bullying and online safety. Students
5:31left informed and with resources to
5:33support their social and emotional
5:35well-being. Additionally, our sixth and
5:38seventh grade students attended an
5:39assembly from the Suffach County
5:41District Attorney's Office about
5:43internet safety, teen dating, violence,
5:46and consent. The presentation provided
5:49students with information for safe or
5:52safe internet usage and ways to foster
5:55positive relationships. This program is
5:58part of our ongoing effort to promote
6:00student safety, awareness, and healthy
6:02decision-making.
6:11Good evening. My name is Daniel Grant. I
6:13am an eighth grade student and also a
6:15member of the of the sorry of our
6:19student equity team. I'm here to share a
6:21few more events that took place this
6:22month at Robert Moses Middle School.
6:24Sixth grade students had one of many
6:26annual events, their pillow making
6:28party. Students made and took home a
6:30pillow while enjoying some snacks. The
6:32reading buddies club took another trip
6:34to Duca where they were able to read
6:36with their elementary school partners
6:38and talk about their books. The
6:40recycling club went on a trip to Jones
6:42Beach recycling center where they were
6:43able to learn about environmental
6:45conservation through hands-on learning.
6:48Today, all eighth grade students
6:50gathered for an assembly. What I wish
6:52for about high sorry. Today, all eighth
6:57grade students gathered for an assembly
6:58called What I Wish I Kn. This annual
7:01assembly is put on a panel is put on by
7:04a panel of students of high school
7:07students. Students on the panel.
7:11Students sit on a panel and give insight
7:14on common questions and concerns about
7:15transitioning into high school based on
7:17their past experiences.
7:20They talked about academics, athletics,
7:22clubs, and social aspects of high school
7:24to to get our eighth grade students
7:26thinking about their next step and what
7:27to expect. Students also had an
7:29opportunity to ask their panelists their
7:31own questions. Students left with a
7:34better idea of what to expect next year
7:36after hearing from their peers. Just as
7:38a reminder, next week we have off for
7:41February break. We hope that you stay
7:42warm and enjoy this time off.
7:46[applause]
7:49Kenya and Danielle, this was your first
7:50time presenting with us, right?
7:52>> You guys did an amazing job. It's not
7:54easy. Thank you. [applause]
7:58So, it's always it's always good to to
8:00back clean up after the students share
8:02because that uh significantly decreases
8:04the things that the superintendent has
8:06to say. Uh I did want to just share and
8:09and echo the sentiments of Amaya that
8:11the the musical All Shook Up was
8:13amazing. And if you had the opportunity
8:14to see it, it truly was tremendous. Uh
8:16great job by our students and our staff
8:18and all the volunteers involved with
8:20that. Good luck to all of the winter
8:22season athletes who are still continuing
8:24on. Number of wrestlers. We actually
8:26have two boys bowlers. uh who are on
8:29their way to the state championships at
8:30some point in the coming weeks. Um as
8:32Amaya mentioned, we have a couple boys.
8:34Um we had a school record in the
8:36thousand and our boys basketball team is
8:38the number two seed and they play at the
8:41high school their first uh opening
8:42playoff game next week. I want to also
8:45share that the UPK lottery took place
8:47this week and we had 184 uh children for
8:51the 156 available spots in our program
8:54and the registration process for those
8:56individuals who were uh whose lottery
8:58number was drawn successfully. They
9:00they've started that. And I have to tell
9:02you that one of my favorite parts though
9:04about this year's lottery was we had it
9:07streamed in our TV studio here in the
9:09district and behind the scenes our
9:12students and staff were helping with um
9:15you know putting that production
9:16together and then sending that out. So
9:18if you're interested it's on our YouTube
9:20channel there you'll also find our MBTV
9:23NBTV uh editions the newsletter that the
9:27TV studio broadcast students are now
9:28putting out. So, it was tremendous. And
9:31last, uh, as Amaya mentioned, PS, I love
9:33you day tomorrow. Don't forget, wear
9:35your purple. Um, it's something that I
9:38see, you see the the purple flags along
9:40Deer Park Avenue right now, and I see
9:42it. Um, I guess causing a stir and
9:46excitement at all of our schools at this
9:48time. uh everywhere you go there's PS I
9:50love you decorations and reminders and
9:53um students reaching out to each other
9:55and just you know reminding each other
9:57of of the purpose of PS I love you day
10:00and and being there for one another. Um
10:02so the the second part of the
10:04superintendent's report this evening is
10:07uh a budget presentation. And so I'm
10:09going to invite the board to move into
10:11the audience um and and we'll do the
10:14budget presentation. I know we also have
10:15a tenure recognition. We didn't forget
10:17about it. Um, we're going to do the uh
10:18budget presentation first.
10:51You want this mounted here, right?
10:53You're not going to hold it. You'll play
10:54the crowd.
10:58Okay. So, here we are. This is the the
11:01second step uh in our public budget
11:03presentations. Our first one was at the
11:06last meeting and we talked about our
11:08proposed expenditures for next year and
11:10now we start to get into okay how do we
11:12support those uh proposed expenditures
11:14right and that's the revenue piece of
11:16the budget how do we how do we uh get
11:18the money to pay for what we're hoping
11:20to do next year and for any of you who
11:23are looking all of our budget materials
11:26and presentations all live on our
11:28website so if you want to go back and
11:29refer to uh prior presentations as we go
11:32along they'll all be uh on on our
11:34website. So the nice part about this
11:37presentation is given it's mostly
11:39numbers, remember I said at the last
11:40presentation, Miss Buati talks about the
11:43numbers, I talk about some of the
11:44things. This is all numbers. So I'm
11:46going to pass the microphone over to
11:47Miss Puati, our assistant superintendent
11:49for business and operations.
11:54[applause]
11:58>> Thank you, Dr. Graham.
12:01As he said, this is the piece that
12:06to most they don't see it, but is the
12:10most important because this is when we
12:13start using the credit card or the debit
12:15card, the funding piece. It is the most
12:18important part of the budget process
12:21because unlike the past, we are no
12:24longer I always give an analogy of the
12:27debit card versus the credit card. We
12:30used to use a credit card. Now it's a
12:34debit card. So you would see why I say
12:38that as we go along. But before I do
12:41that, I want to go through our fiscal
12:46stress monitoring system. And the reason
12:49why I'm going through the fiscal stress
12:52is that we have to know the history to
12:55move forward. Our fiscal stress score
12:59was very good. And for the past five
13:03years, we have scored what is called no
13:08designation, which is the highest that
13:10any school district will ever receive.
13:19So the fiscal stress monitoring system
13:24was launched in about 2013 by the
13:28controller of the state of New York.
13:31And the idea there was to find a
13:35systematic and objective way to evaluate
13:40school district so that all of them are
13:43on the same wavelength.
13:47Now, it also highlights whether the
13:51school district is experienced any kind
13:55of financial struggles
13:58and it serves as an early warning sign
14:02to the school district whether they are
14:05going in the wrong path or the right
14:09path. And as you will see very shortly,
14:12there are some indicators that are used
14:16to measure where the school district is.
14:21Now, there are two indicators, financial
14:24and environmental. And as you can see,
14:28the higher the score,
14:31the more stress the school district is
14:34facing. and financial indicators
14:38are within the control of the school
14:42district. What are some of the financial
14:45indicators? If you don't have a lot of
14:47cash flow to meet your immediate
14:50obligations
14:52like payroll,
14:55short-term debt, then you are really
14:58having a a a financial stress.
15:03Now if you score between 65 and 100 then
15:08you are really showing
15:11significant physical stress.
15:14Moderate is between 45 and 64 and 25 to
15:2044 is considered an early warning sign.
15:25Any of these measures is not truly a
15:30good sign for a school district on the
15:33environmental side. Those are issues
15:37with which is beyond the control of the
15:40school district. What are some of the
15:43environmental
15:45issues that a school district can face?
15:49Rapid decrease in enrollment. You don't
15:51have control over that. If there's a
15:54recession count coming, you don't have
15:56control over that. Those are considered
15:59environmental
16:01stress for any school district. So for
16:05us last year as you can see the past
16:09five years we scored no designation
16:14which means that the district is not
16:17showing any sign of fiscal stress both
16:21environmentally and physically.
16:26So what are some of the things that we
16:30can do as an organization to maintain
16:34the no designation status?
16:37Maintain a structural
16:39budget balance which means that we
16:41should always ensure that our revenues
16:45match our expenses on an ongoing basis.
16:50We also have to make sure that we
16:52maintain an appropriate fund balance and
16:56reserves. That is key. Not too much, not
17:01too little, just adequate. Because when
17:05you have too much, there's also problem.
17:08And when you have too little, there's
17:10also problem. We have to control
17:13expenditure growth. This is something
17:15that the team in the business office
17:18seem to do very well. So when you send a
17:21purchase order to the business office
17:23and they keep questioning you, it's not
17:26because we delight in doing that to you.
17:29It's because we have to make sure that
17:32we keep spending aligned with available
17:35revenues. We should always ensure strong
17:40liquidity.
17:41Liquid is cash. Cash is power. We should
17:46always have cash on hand to meet our
17:50immediate obligation which includes
17:52payroll or any debt that becomes due.
17:57Manage our debt service in a very
18:00prudent manner. What does that mean?
18:03When we borrow money, we have to make
18:06sure that we pay it over time and plan
18:10for the payment over time. And the last
18:13piece that we have to always consider is
18:17how we plan for future obligations. That
18:20is capital construction. You just don't
18:23go out there and build. Before you plan
18:28any capital project, you have to plan it
18:31out. You have to know how you are going
18:33to pay it over time and you have to know
18:36how you going to feed the debt payment
18:40into your budget over time. You don't
18:43want to see spikes in your budget. It
18:46has to be smooth going out otherwise it
18:49becomes a tax burden on your residents
19:00need help. Okay.
19:07>> Okay.
19:09Now we go to the revenues. As Dr. Graham
19:13said,
19:15we have to find ways to pay for the
19:18budget. And what are some of the ways
19:21that we pay for the budget? The main
19:25funding sources of our budget is
19:28property taxes
19:31and state aid. We also get local
19:34revenues, rent from some of the
19:37facilities that we lease, interest
19:40income, pilot money. Pilot is payment in
19:44lie of taxes. I'll show you some of the
19:47miscellaneous revenues that we receive.
19:52that property taxes is based on a
19:55formula
19:57and that was what I was talking about
19:59when I referred to the property taxes as
20:02a debit card. It is a formula that is
20:14okay. It is a formula that is prescribed
20:17by New York State. You start you begin
20:21by looking at your school taxes the
20:24previous year. Then you have to add what
20:28is called taxbased
20:31growth factor. What does that mean? If
20:35you build
20:38a shopping mall in your district, if a
20:42lot of homes are built in your school
20:45district, it is showing you that your
20:48tax base is increasing. If the tax base
20:52is increasing, all those properties will
20:55have to be placed on the property roles.
20:59And if they are placed under property
21:02roles, they have to pay part of your
21:05school taxes. And that's why the state
21:08allows you to include
21:12all brick and mortar project in
21:15calculating your tax levy.
21:19This number three here is what most
21:22people refer to as the 2% tax cap. It is
21:27really not a 2% sometimes it goes down
21:30to 1% actually in the 20 I think 2016
21:35school year the CPI which is used as an
21:40index for calculating the tax levy went
21:45down to less than 1% it went to 21 of
21:501%. So it is very important that we keep
21:55some of our monies in our box because
21:58you never know where the CPR will be
22:01going from year to year. Then the state
22:04allows number four here the state allows
22:07what is called exclusions.
22:10Exclusions are unavoidable
22:13unavoidable cost like if you have the
22:16debt service that I was talking about
22:19those are things that you have to pay
22:21for. So the state allows you to include
22:24it in the calculation of the tax levy.
22:29So if you do that it does not come out
22:33sometimes to be the exact 2% that people
22:36usually allude to is sometimes most
22:39times it is higher than 2%. And in our
22:43case next year it is going to be higher
22:47than 2%. It's going to be 2.4%.
22:53And it comes out the levytolevy increase
22:56is about $1.8 8 million
22:59and we are still under the task cap even
23:02with that because the 2% is really not a
23:062% because we had to add all the other
23:10things all the things that I spoke
23:12about.
23:14So if you look at it com if you compare
23:17North Babylon to other North uh Long
23:20Island school district you see that our
23:23tax levy is within range. You you can
23:26see it's one you know in the 2022 school
23:30year we were at 2.37
23:33most school district at were at 1.24
23:37but in the 1819 school year we were less
23:42than z less than 0% we were minus.59%
23:48while the average on long island was
23:511.6% 6%
23:53increase.
23:57State aid. Our state aid is the next
24:02major source of revenue.
24:05This state aid is based on the
24:08governor's budget. Again, this will
24:13likely change because this is not the
24:16final state aid. Based on the numbers
24:19that we have received, the governor's
24:22proposal is simply a proposal. It is not
24:26the law yet.
24:29So
24:31from what we received from the governor,
24:34we will be getting a net increase of
24:38less than 1%.
24:41North Babylon is not alone in this.
24:44about 461
24:46school district in the whole state will
24:49be getting just around 1% increase in
24:53state aid next year. So we've told our
24:56legislators they know that inflation is
24:59more than 3% and they know that this
25:03number is too low. We are hoping that
25:06they are listening to us and they will
25:08do something about it. The real state
25:11aid will come around the end of March.
25:15That is when the legislature will vote
25:18on the state aid and that's when the
25:20real numbers come out.
25:24So this is the miscellaneous revenues
25:26that I spoke about as you can see the
25:30major part of our revenue miscellaneous
25:32revenue is from reenter of real estate
25:36the lease of one of our school
25:38buildings. That brings in about
25:40$620,000.
25:43The rest of it is from interest income
25:46and other miss gives us a little bit of
25:49money, Medicaid assistance. When
25:52students receive services, they also get
25:56Medicaid assistance and school district
25:58are able to claim that as well.
26:05This is the final slide which shows the
26:07reserve.
26:09Right now our reserve balance is
26:11standing at about 17%.
26:16It is
26:18medium to average.
26:21This is something that we'll be looking
26:23at very closely as we work through the
26:26years. We make sure that our
26:30fund balance and reserve continue. We
26:34continue to maintain it at the higher
26:36level because you never know when the
26:39CPR is going to go down. If the CPR goes
26:43down, this is typically a place that you
26:46can get monies from to balance your
26:50budget.
26:52Um, so what's coming up next time? On
26:56March 3rd, we'll be talking about the
26:58non-instructional budget. It will
27:00include buildings and grounds,
27:02transportation security, and technology.
27:06On March 10th, we'll be talking about
27:09curriculum and instruction. March 19th,
27:13special education and personnel. And
27:15then the budget will be adopted on April
27:1921. The budget hearing will be on May
27:227th and the budget vote will be on May
27:2619th. Thank you.
27:29[applause]
27:32>> Thank you, Miss Poati. And thank you to
27:34Tiana and Jen who are here from the
27:35business office this evening. So, I know
27:37that they did a lot of work. And at this
27:39time, this is where the board has any
27:40opport an opportunity to ask any
27:42questions on the presentation. This is
27:43the board only at this time.
27:54name and address. So I just, you know,
27:57on one of the slides we're talking about
27:58the no designation status and how you
27:59maintain that and you talked about the
28:01debt service. Can we get in past years
28:03we've gotten a a spreadsheet of the debt
28:08service on each bond and the expected
28:10state aid so we know that they're
28:12matching up. Do you think we can get
28:14that at some point during this budget
28:16cycle?
28:19>> I'm so happy Miss B Castro is here. She
28:22has it ready and we'll get it to you.
28:28>> I was going to say yes without even
28:29asking. So, we'll figure it out.
28:34Any other questions from the board?
28:36Okay. So, we'll ask the board now to
28:38return. And uh thank you again, Olivia.
29:08So, the the last part of the
29:10superintendent's report this evening is
29:12that you know typically there are
29:14employees who are earning tenure and we
29:16recognize them at the June or May
29:19meeting but then oftentimes we have
29:21people who are on offcycle timelines um
29:24with respect to tenure and this evening
29:26we're going to recognize one of those
29:27individuals I think that might be why
29:29some people are here this evening not
29:31sure uh but I am going to invite uh our
29:33middle school principal Missandress to
29:35come to the microphone
29:53Diana, do you want to come up?
29:55[laughter]
29:59Thanks. [applause]
30:03So, this is when I get to speak about
30:05you. You know what makes a great special
30:07education teacher? It's not just knowing
30:10the IEPs inside and out. It's knowing
30:12the kids even better. Diana Carolo has
30:15that gift. She sees potential where
30:18others see challenges. She builds
30:20bridges where others sees barriers and
30:23turns I can't into watch me. Diana knows
30:26North Babylon from in the inside out.
30:29She has a she was a student here. She
30:32coaches our girls basketball team and
30:35now teaches our strive students. Talk
30:37about coming full circle.
30:40She brought that coaching mentality
30:41straight into her classroom that I see
30:44every day. Every student matters.
30:47Everything that students practice and
30:49learn counts and everything is
30:51achievable to all of her students. She
30:54and her students are the heart of our
30:55school community. Under her leadership,
30:58our students participated in the Special
31:00Olympics for the first time at Robert
31:02Moses Middle School and brought home 24
31:04medals, 14 gold, five silver, and five
31:07bronze.
31:12[applause]
31:13They run our Moses Bean program, manage
31:16our school store, and learn real world
31:19skills that prepare them to become
31:21independent. I am grateful to you for
31:24the time and effort that you bring to
31:26our students and community each day.
31:28Diana, congratulations. And our students
31:30and and Robert Moses are fortunate to
31:32have you.
31:34[applause]
32:08I know what to do.
32:14>> [applause]
32:21[cheering]
32:25[applause]
32:36>> Can you guys hold those signs up again?
32:51And not to tell anybody that they have
32:53to leave the board meeting, but I know
32:54the party might be continuing. So at
32:56this point, the you know this is the the
32:59natural point as we as we switch to the
33:01business meeting.
33:04Congratulations again.
33:14Public participation. This section gives
33:16the board of education the opportunity
33:18to recognize residents who wish to raise
33:20a question or make a brief statement on
33:23agenda items only. The time available
33:26will be limited to five minutes for each
33:28comments or question.
33:36>> Oh, okay. Um on the agenda I thought
33:39resolution of agreement. I was wondering
33:42that what that was and the creation of
33:44an assistant superintendent position.
33:47What is that?
33:51>> I was just waiting for you to usually
33:53have a list.
33:53>> No, that's it. That's later.
33:55>> Um so the agreement is a personnel
33:58matter, Evelyn.
33:59>> Uh and the creation of the assistant
34:01superintendent for curriculum and
34:02instruction is exactly what it says.
34:04It's a creation of that position
34:06effective July 1.
34:07>> Okay. It didn't say what it it didn't
34:10specify that. Um, did we do away with
34:12deputy superintendent?
34:16>> We did not do away with that.
34:18>> So, is there anywhere I can find a new
34:21district or chart?
34:26>> I'll sit here.
34:32Well, seeing as we're creating the
34:34position effective July 1, we don't have
34:35a new district or chart to reflect that
34:37change just yet. So, we will make one
34:40and once it's available, we'll put it up
34:41on the website.
34:42>> Okay. Thank you.
34:45>> Hi, Karen Schmidt 159 with you.
34:49>> So, I just I feel like I need
34:51clarification. We have an assist a
34:54deputy superintendent for curriculum and
34:57instruction that is currently employed
35:00being paid. And now effective July 1,
35:03we're hiring an assistant superintendent
35:06of curriculum and instruction. That to
35:08me sounds like two positions doing the
35:11same thing. So
35:14please correct me if I'm wrong. Are we
35:17looking to pay two people to do the same
35:19job?
35:25So far is there's some follow-ups.
35:31>> Well, they they kind of follow as you
35:33give answers. It's kind of a you know
35:35give and take.
35:40>> If you don't mind, Mishm, could you just
35:41give all the questions?
35:43>> Oh, sure. Yeah. Okay. So then um I've
35:46been perusing the uh personnel agenda
35:50and I have not seen a resignation um for
35:53the current deputy superintendent. So
35:55I'm wondering if I missed that. And then
35:58I'm wondering where the investigation
35:59that started in October of 2024 began
36:02because if my math is correct and I have
36:05all the foiled paperwork in front of me,
36:06I've read it redacted and all. We're
36:09talking about $152,323
36:13worth of funds that were signed off by
36:15Miss Gillan that went to people that and
36:18positions and grants that were not board
36:20approved. A whole laundry list of things
36:23with an additional $52,24511
36:27that the board has approved on
36:28investigative costs. So, right now I'm
36:31looking at $24,646
36:34of taxpayer funds that at this point I'm
36:37confused as to why this investigation
36:39took place if we still have the person
36:42who's employed yet we're hiring another
36:44person to do the same job that that
36:45person was hired to do.
36:49That's what I got so far.
36:54I can answer the questions as best as I
36:57can, Miss Schmidt. the the the truth is
37:00we don't comment on personnel items. Uh
37:03and then with respect to resignations or
37:06paperwork or why you have the uh foiled
37:09documents so you have access to all of
37:12those so you're well aware of the
37:15process that the board and the district
37:16have engaged in.
37:18>> Um and unfortunately the comment is
37:21limited to it's a it's an ongoing
37:23personnel issue. So, you can't confirm
37:25if someone is still currently employed
37:26and getting paid?
37:30>> Um,
37:33what's the question? I can confirm that
37:35people are still employed and getting
37:36paid.
37:36>> Is Kim Skiillan still employed?
37:39>> Um, we're not talking about specific
37:40individuals.
37:41>> Is the current deputy superintendent of
37:43curricular instruction still employed?
37:44>> Yes.
37:45>> Is that person still getting paid?
37:47>> Yes.
37:47>> Is that person still showing up to work
37:49or is that person been reassigned at
37:50home? because I also have noticed she
37:53hasn't been here in quite a while and
37:55I'm not sure if that's in her job
37:56description or not.
37:57>> I'm not talking about personnel, Miss
37:59Miss Schmidt.
38:00>> Okay. But you you do confirm that the
38:02deputy superintendent position still
38:04exists.
38:06>> Yes.
38:06>> And that that position is currently
38:08filled.
38:09>> Yes.
38:09>> And we're looking to create a new
38:10position called an assistant
38:12superintendent of curriculum and
38:14instruction. Yes.
38:15>> Effective July 1.
38:16>> Yes.
38:16>> And Okay.
38:24Okay. Thanks.
38:32>> Okay. Good evening to the board and
38:35Superintendent Graham and to everyone.
38:38Uh my name is Gail Wernham. I'm a
38:40community member. Um my question is I
38:43first of all congratulations on
38:45maintaining the budget. Um that is good
38:48news and um but my question has to do
38:52with March 3 I believe is when you'll be
38:55discussing security. Is there any
38:58projection on the vestibules
39:01um being completed yet or? No. Um,
39:06right now our director of facilities is
39:09working with the vendor who's installing
39:11them as well as with our technology
39:13crew. And we have one that's fully
39:16operational at this point. And they're
39:17just going through a number of punch
39:18list items at each of them at this
39:20point. So like a glass that may have
39:22broken or cracked during installation,
39:24something to that effect. And they're
39:26going through addressing all of those.
39:28>> Ideally, all of them would be done prior
39:30to that presentation. um we believe that
39:33we're well on track and as soon as we
39:35have each one of them opening up that's
39:37as that's how we're implementing them at
39:39that particular building. So you know
39:41it's been it's been challenging
39:43initially the construction estimates
39:45were September and then there were
39:47delays in the materials in terms of
39:48building them and delivering them.
39:50>> Um
39:51>> we're almost done with the delays.
39:53Everything's on site and installed. Now
39:54it's just fixing any of those last
39:57hanging items.
39:58>> I see. Okay. Thank you very much.
40:00>> Sure. Thank you.
40:12Motion
40:13>> second.
40:14>> Second.
40:15>> All in favor?
40:16>> Any opposed? Any extensions? Motion
40:19carries.
40:22Personnel actions. Motion to approve the
40:24personel action report6.
40:29>> Motion.
40:32Second.
40:36>> I'm sorry. Motion to approve the
40:39personnel action report dated February
40:4112th, 2026.
40:43>> Motion.
40:44>> Second. All in favor?
40:47>> Any abstensions? Motion carries.
40:50>> Uh, Miss Roland, I just want to mention
40:51we do have one of our teachers who was
40:54appointed this evening. So, I'd like to
40:55welcome Charles Streker here. Um,
40:58Charles, why don't you stand?
41:00>> [applause]
41:00>> Yeah, go ahead. Congratulations and
41:03welcome. Uh Charles is going to be
41:05teaching chorus at the middle school and
41:07we're very happy to have him and welcome
41:09him. Uh you've been attending faculty
41:11meetings already, right?
41:13>> Yeah, we've seen you around. So, welcome
41:16and congratulations.
41:21>> [applause]
41:25>> Motion to approve the omunist motion
41:27items letters A through T. I don't know
41:30if you want to take a quick look.
41:36>> Can I get a motion?
41:38>> Second.
41:39>> Second.
41:40>> All in favor?
41:42>> Any opposed? Any abstensions? Motion
41:45carries.
41:49Action items. Motion to approve the
41:51resolution agreement as discussed in
41:53executive session.
42:03>> Who motion?
42:04>> Kesha.
42:05>> Kesha.
42:05>> Second.
42:06>> All in favor?
42:08>> Any any opposed? Any abstensions? Motion
42:12carries.
42:15Motion to approve the candidate
42:17nominations for Western Suffach Boseies.
42:19Can I have a motion?
42:22>> Second.
42:22>> Second.
42:23>> All in favor?
42:24>> I.
42:25>> Any opposed? Any abstensions?
42:29>> Motion carries.
42:34Motion to approve the following as more
42:37fully discussed in executive session.
42:39resolved that upon the recommendation of
42:41the superintendent of schools, the board
42:44of education of the North Babylon Union
42:46Free School District hereby approves the
42:49stipulation of settlement between the
42:51district and the employee identified on
42:54confidential schedule A and authorizes
42:57the president of the board of education
42:59to execute the agreement on behalf of
43:01the board.
43:02>> Motion
43:03>> second.
43:04>> Second.
43:05>> All in favor? I.
43:07>> Any abstensions?
43:09Motion carries.
43:13Uh, creation of assistant superintendent
43:15position. Motion to approve the creation
43:18of the assistant superintendent position
43:20for curriculum and instruction.
43:22>> Motion.
43:23>> Second.
43:24>> Second.
43:24>> All in favor?
43:26>> I.
43:26>> Any opposed? Any abstensions? Motion
43:30carries.
43:32Per application for confidential
43:34designation. Motion to approve the
43:36application to the New York State Public
43:38Employment Relations Board as more fully
43:40discussed in executive session.
43:44>> Second.
43:45>> Second.
43:45>> All in favor?
43:47>> I.
43:47>> Any opposed? Any abstensions? Motion
43:51carries.
44:07reports from the subcommittees of the
44:10board. Um I believe that the building
44:14committee had met.
44:17Somebody from the build building
44:18committee want to speak?
44:21>> Bob, you're the man.
44:22>> Yeah, I guess. Yeah. So, we met uh
44:24Monday uh part of our regular meetings.
44:27We had a lot of discussion on the the
44:30roofs, every one of our buildings, the
44:32roofs are out of uh warranty. So, that's
44:34that's a concern. There are some spots
44:37on some of the roofs that uh we think
44:39need to be looked at. Um I think the the
44:42cost estimate right now is about $53
44:44million to do all the roofs across the
44:46district.
44:48>> A little bit less. Oh, that was the
44:49total.
44:50>> 47, I'm sorry. Yes. Um, but we're
44:53looking at uh if there's other things
44:56that we can do, which is like a coating,
44:57which gives us almost the same warranty
44:59as as a rip and repair. Uh, and that
45:02that would bring the price down
45:03significantly and allow us to use some
45:05of that money um on other projects
45:07around the district like the u flooding
45:10that comes to the the baseball field and
45:13and the drainage there and all. So, um,
45:15so we're looking at a lot of that. And,
45:19um,
45:21what else? Mr. Cherry
45:23>> uh transportation building.
45:24>> Oh yeah.
45:25>> You know, thinking of uh the future and
45:27still um uncertain of the future when it
45:30comes to electric buses and the mandates
45:32and the money for all that. But in the
45:34same sense, we're in our own situation
45:36with you know the current facility
45:38situation that we have. Um so trying to
45:41balance out what we need and what we
45:43have and putting it all together. And
45:45then the other hurdle is um you know the
45:48administration building that we still
45:50have to address. So those are the major
45:53topics and um yeah Olivia is doing a
45:56great job with her team to uh and our um
46:00what do we call them estimator uh has
46:02done a great job. I think he's been a
46:03great benefit to to giving us you know
46:06lots of options and what's going on out
46:08there in other communities which we
46:09didn't have the last time we were here.
46:11So u last time we went through the bond
46:13process. So that was very helpful. Think
46:16that's it, right Jeff?
46:21>> Thank you. The communications committee
46:24met right before the meeting today.
46:26>> Yes. Um myself, Heather, Dr. Graham, we
46:29met today and just similar to popcorning
46:34certain ideas to stay relevant um as far
46:37as communicating not just fluff but also
46:40stuff to the community because
46:44That's a little bit of teacher in me.
46:45Sorry.
46:47Um, but just as far as creating that
46:49balance and staying relevant because in
46:51technology it's forever innovating and
46:54changing and we want to stay fresh and
46:56we want to get a temperature of what
46:58other temp of what other districts are
47:00using as well. So, um, with that in
47:03mind, we want to make sure that we're
47:04incorporating and also being resourceful
47:07within our district as well. um using
47:10our students, using our media, using
47:13internal um outlets that we have um to
47:17make the bigger picture, the broader
47:19image for North Babylon.
47:22Secondly, not necessarily connected to
47:26the meeting today, but I have to share
47:28this. my student who is from um
47:31Beayshore but his grandmother lives in
47:33North Babylon. He said to me this
47:36morning, so I guess it is part of
47:38communication and in a way um linking us
47:40to PS I love you. He said your high
47:43school looks really nice with the purple
47:45flags.
47:47And I said, "Thank you so much." He
47:49said, "I was going to grandma's house
47:51and I saw the flags and it looks really
47:53nice." And I just said, "Thank you." And
47:55I just thought that's a way to
47:57communicate a a message as well
48:00indirectly. So, good job.
48:05>> Thank you, Kesha.
48:07Okay, board discussion topics.
48:10>> Oh,
48:11>> Cat was there, too. [laughter]
48:16>> Um, so I'm going to make a statement.
48:19Um, at tonight's meeting, the board of
48:21education approved an agreement
48:22involving a district employee. This
48:25agreement resolves a 302A disciplinary
48:28proceeding which is the formal legal
48:31process used to address significant
48:33personnel concerns.
48:36This board did not reach this decision
48:38lightly. After careful review of the
48:41circumstances and consideration of the
48:44time, the cost and the resources
48:47required to continue litigation.
48:50This board determined that resolving the
48:51matter at this stage is in the best
48:54interest of the district, our students,
48:57and our community.
48:59This board
49:01wants to be as open and as transparent
49:04as possible while still following the
49:07legal rules that protect certain
49:10personnel information.
49:12Since this agenda has been posted
49:14online, there have been inquiries as to
49:17whether the agreement can be released to
49:19the public. The answer is yes. It may be
49:22released pursuant to the Freedom of
49:24Information Act, which is subject to
49:26review by our council for possible
49:30redactions.
49:32That was all I wanted to say on that.
49:41public participation.
49:43>> Can I make a statement?
49:44>> Sure.
49:45>> All right. This is a little bit
49:46different. I I wanted to say that I
49:49attended a uh Nassau Suffach joint Board
49:53of Education uh conference a few weeks
49:57ago and um basically they were looking
50:01at different partnerships that districts
50:04have with community and business and
50:07technology.
50:08And to the same tune that Miss Rivers
50:12just said, I was pleasantly
50:15uh I was satisfied and happy to see that
50:19a lot of what the other districts were
50:22presenting about we are already doing
50:25especially at the high school when you
50:27think about um as Dr. mentioned using
50:31our TV studio or we've mentioned some of
50:34our other um technology as far as the TV
50:38studio, the the barbering, the uh and a
50:42lot of things that we have at the high
50:44school. Other districts are
50:47just now getting there. So, I was very
50:50impressed in what we're doing and what
50:52we're continuing to do. So, I just
50:54wanted to share that.
50:55>> Thank you, Mr. Myers. Does anybody else
50:57have anything that they like to discuss?
51:01Okay. Moving forward, public
51:03participation. The board of education
51:06gives the opportunity to recognize
51:07residents who wish to raise a question
51:10or to make a brief statement on matters
51:12including but not limited to agenda
51:14items. The time available will be
51:16limited to five minutes.
51:17>> I'll go quick for each question or
51:19statement.
51:20>> Hi, Evelyn Hendell, 7 Avenue. Okay, so
51:24the roofs are out of warranty. Didn't we
51:26just take care of all of this before we
51:28put solar panels on them all? Um, at the
51:32last meeting, which I missed, um, I
51:34believe it was spoken about adding two
51:36up UPK classes. I wanted to know if they
51:40are fully funded by the bond. Um, how
51:42much of the bond goes to Cross of Christ
51:44and is that tied to the number of
51:46students that end up going there? Um,
51:50all right. Now, people have been
51:51bothering me. I haven't been here in a
51:52in a while, so I have a few questions.
51:56Um
51:57I guess online I don't go online. It
51:59said that the high school earned a
52:01bronze um on AP school honor roll. They
52:05want to know why can't this be on that
52:07rotating sign instead of bus drivers.
52:12Um okay.
52:14According to the state and I could be
52:15wrong um we have to be in school for 180
52:18days. Our calendar has 182 instructional
52:22days. If we use one as a snow day, we're
52:25still over the 180 days. Why do I have
52:28to send my kids to school? Why do we
52:30have to make it up? Um, okay. The
52:33responsibilities of the new the newly
52:36created deputy um assistant
52:38superintendent for curriculum and
52:39instruction. How will those
52:41responsibilities differ from the
52:44responsibilities of a deputy
52:46superintendent of instruction and
52:49curriculum? How will they differ? Um,
52:52are we going to keep both of those
52:53positions moving forward in the future?
52:57And at this moment, I don't know what
53:00you I heard your statement. I think I
53:03know what it's in reference to, but I
53:05can't be sure. So, I wanted to know what
53:07salary you're posting that new position
53:08at. I think that might have covered it
53:11all.
53:15>> Evelyn, your first question is about the
53:17roofs, right? And taking care of them
53:19before. I'm I'm not exactly sure what
53:22you mean.
53:23>> Well, they're all out of warranty and I
53:24thought all of this was looked into um
53:27the state of the roofs, how long they
53:29were warrantied before we went ahead
53:31with that energy contract putting solar
53:33solar panels on them because now if we
53:36have a problem with the roof, we have to
53:38take off the solar panels and whose
53:40responsibility?
53:42>> So, when they do the energy performance
53:44contract, you're building some of that
53:46uh revenue that's incoming based on the
53:48savings that you're going to have in
53:49energy costs.
53:51And what I'm told and what I've learned
53:53is, and all of us are learning, the
53:56people who who are here, you know, since
53:58that occurred, um, is that the energy
54:01costs savings that were built in
54:03included the removal of the solar
54:07panels, the storage of during a roof
54:10installation, and then the remounting.
54:12So, the costs were built into the
54:14savings that the district was
54:16anticipating. So, it's not that the
54:18roofs were remediated prior to the solar
54:20being installed. It's that those costs
54:22were included in the estimations of how
54:24much this project would save the
54:26district over time.
54:27>> Okay. I thought we had more time on the
54:30warranties.
54:31>> I don't
54:32>> Are we saving money yet?
54:34>> We're saving money in energy costs right
54:36now. Um certainly, you know, I don't
54:38know if it's a dollar value decrease,
54:39but it's not as high as what it would be
54:41if we didn't have any buildings
54:42operating on solar power.
54:43>> I I know it was over time. Uh the other
54:46question you had I think was on UPK and
54:50two sections. I'm not exactly sure what
54:51that question was either.
54:52>> That that you were adding two sections
54:54next year going to 10 classes from
54:56eight.
54:58>> If you add two sections, are those two
55:00sections still going to be fully funded
55:02by the bond or will any of that money
55:04come out
55:04>> the um the grant state grant? Yeah.
55:07>> Yeah. Will it be fully funded from the
55:09by the grant or will money have to come
55:11out of the general fund?
55:12>> Well, so our hope we haven't added two
55:14sections. No, I heard it was discussed.
55:16>> Yes, it it has been discussed. It is
55:19continuing to be discussed. Um, we can't
55:22add two sections until we receive
55:24notification from the state that those
55:27additional seats would be covered
55:29through the state grant. And right now,
55:31we don't have that assurance. So, it's
55:33most likely not going to come to us
55:34until the state budget is finalized. As
55:36Miss Buati mentioned a little earlier,
55:39that's probably not for another month or
55:40so. Um, toward the end of March. So our
55:44hope would be obviously is to support
55:46the additional two sections but not
55:49through the general fund. It would be
55:50through the state funding of the UPK
55:52grant. So we're gonna we're going to
55:54have to wait. So right now we have a a
55:55number of families on a wait list. Um
55:58our hope would be that you know if we
56:00were able to open up those two
56:01additional sections then we would reach
56:03out to them and tell them that we have a
56:04a spot available for them. Weren't we
56:06not using our fully amount available to
56:09us in the bond in the um
56:11>> we we we weren't uh and we were limited
56:14by space for a while. Um that's the
56:16number that you were always talking
56:17about with the 600,000 uh difference
56:20between what the allocation was for UPK
56:22and then what the actual expenditures
56:23were. Um, so we're we're still and never
56:26were using the full allocation, but in
56:29the governor's proposal, and that's the
56:31first basis of state aid that we have to
56:33go by, that number that was proposed for
56:35us does not include enough funding to
56:38support those additional sections.
56:39>> And what isn't a percent that goes to an
56:42outside organization versus cross of
56:44Christ?
56:45>> Districts have to seek out community-
56:47based organizations to partner with
56:49them, and it's up to 10% of the
56:50allocation. That doesn't mean it's a
56:52full 10%. Right now, Cross of Christ uh
56:55takes 12 of our students and houses them
56:57there. I've asked if they were
56:59interested in h housing more. They just
57:01don't have uh the availability to
57:03>> do they get because I believe the grant
57:05is based on a dollar amount per student.
57:08Do they get the same dollar amount or is
57:10it okay
57:12>> high school bronze honor roll? I I agree
57:14with you. It should go on uh the
57:15electronic sign, not at the expense of
57:18bus drivers because we still need uh bus
57:20drivers. So, we certainly will do our
57:22best to to get that up there. But I
57:23agree with you.
57:24>> I think the point she was making was
57:26there's so many good things happening
57:28here. And every time she stopped at that
57:30light, she sees bus drivers.
57:32>> Why more days on the calendar? Why not
57:34make it up? 180 days is the minimum
57:36requirement for schools with respect to
57:38um state aid. Why would we stop at the
57:41minimum, right? Um, and I think that
57:43we're fortunate enough to we end up at
57:45about 183 uh days every year, four of
57:48which are staff development days. Um, so
57:51why make it up? It's because we've made
57:53that commitment to our community with
57:55respect to um the instructional calendar
57:57and we believe that the time uh the time
58:00in class matters and that time that
58:03additional time does matter. Um, how
58:05will the responsibilities differ between
58:06the assistant superintendent and the
58:08deputy superintendent? I don't have the
58:09answer to that question uh fully
58:11formulated and nor am I ready to speak
58:13to that. Um are we keeping the positions
58:16into perpetuity? Again, that's not
58:17something that I can speak to right now.
58:19Salary, we don't even have the the full
58:21job scope and sequence uh of
58:23responsibilities established just yet.
58:25So, I wouldn't be speaking to the salary
58:26yet either.
58:49Hello, Glenn Edwards, one Clark Street.
58:53Is there a current board of education
58:55policy that addresses how to support the
58:57mental health of students in this school
59:00district who have or are currently
59:03experiencing trauma?
59:05And as a follow-up to that question,
59:07what mandatory ongoing training do
59:10administrators, teachers, and staff
59:13receive in traumainformed care and
59:16recognizing signs of mental distress and
59:19what to do in those situations.
59:25>> Um, just finishing writing your
59:27question, Mr. Edwards.
59:32So just scanning the list of policies in
59:35my head, I don't believe that there's
59:37any that would explicitly say TR, you
59:39know, supporting students with respect
59:41to traumatic experiences. I would have
59:44to go through all the policies. You
59:45know, that's something that uh Miss
59:47Malish and our team we can do and we'll
59:49find those policies and share them with
59:51you with respect to addressing those uh
59:54elements that you asked about. Okay. Uh
59:56similarly, you know, we have a wide
59:58array of staff um professional
1:00:00development opportunities uh required
1:00:02and
1:00:04elective, I guess, is one way to say it,
1:00:06you know, that people would take. So, I
1:00:08can uh gather some of that information
1:00:10for you as well and then share that with
1:00:11you.
1:00:12>> Okay.
1:00:12>> Okay. Thank you.
1:00:19>> Natalie Edwards, one Clark Street.
1:00:22Um, how is the school board ensuring
1:00:25that mental health rather than ju just
1:00:27academic performance is being
1:00:28prioritized in the budget?
1:00:32What is the current ratio of students to
1:00:34school counselors, social workers, and
1:00:36psychologists in our district? And how
1:00:38does it compare to national
1:00:39recommendations?
1:00:42Is anyone keeping track of how often
1:00:44students seek to talk to school
1:00:46counselors, social workers, and
1:00:47psychologists, but are unable to get in
1:00:49because they are busy?
1:00:53How are we ensure are you ensuring that
1:00:55school counselors, psychologists, and
1:00:57social workers are spending their time
1:00:59on mental health counseling rather than
1:01:01administrative tasks?
1:01:06>> So, Miss Edwards, I'm sorry, can you go
1:01:08back to the first question? It was
1:01:11related to
1:01:12>> Yeah. How is the school board ensuring
1:01:14that mental health rather than just
1:01:16academic performance is being
1:01:18prioritized in the budget?
1:01:22Then your second question was counselor
1:01:24to student ratio, social worker to
1:01:26student ratio
1:01:27>> and psychologist
1:01:28>> and psychologist
1:01:29>> and how does it compare to national
1:01:31recommendations?
1:01:34[snorts]
1:01:40>> And then the last was students who
1:01:42>> there was a third one.
1:01:43>> Oh, okay.
1:01:44>> Is anyone keeping track of how often
1:01:45students seek to talk to school
1:01:47counselors, social workers, and
1:01:49psychologists? but are unable to get in
1:01:51because they're busy.
1:01:52>> Okay, that that's the last one.
1:01:53>> That was the third one.
1:01:54>> And then I had four questions. Okay.
1:01:56>> Yep.
1:01:56>> Sorry.
1:01:57>> The last one was, "How are you ensuring
1:01:59that school counselors, psychologists,
1:02:01and social workers are spending their
1:02:03time on mental health counseling versus
1:02:05like administrative tasks?"
1:02:14So, what I can commit to you is that
1:02:16we'll work on gathering the answers to
1:02:19all of the questions and sharing that
1:02:20information out with you. Okay.
1:02:22>> Thank you.
1:02:22>> Um, I have your email address. We'll
1:02:24follow up.
1:02:25>> Thank you.
1:02:25>> Thanks.
1:02:34Seeing as no one else is coming up to
1:02:36the microphone,
1:02:38I would like to make a motion to
1:02:40adjurnn.
1:02:42>> Second.
1:02:43>> All in favor?

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