Administrators, teachers prepare for first week of school
Prior to the August 21, 2013 Board of Education Meeting, a celebration was held to recognize the August 2013 graduates of the Williamson High School. The following students were recognized: Tyler Bureau, Michael Orr, Daniel Perotti, Caitlin Shoemaker, and Akeem Simon.
Under reports from District Administrators, Ellen Saxby reported that the building is in full preparation mode for the start of school. She expressed her appreciation to the custodial staff and building secretaries for their hard work during the summer months to prepare for the new school year. Doug Lauf reported on the success of the students that participated in summer school. Tom Schulte recognized Cindy Ferland for hosting a picnic for the incoming freshmen class along with the freshmen advisors David Cocquyt and Jodi Bodak. Wanda Miller expressed her appreciation for Lori VanAcker who will be leaving the CSE office and moving to the High School main office. Lori has assisted in the District Office this summer in addition to training the new secretary in the CSE office, Abby Gowan. She will be missed in the CSE office and is wished the best of luck at the high school.
Gary Barno recognized Barbara Bush for her work in the transportation department to make sure families receive their bus schedule information in preparation for the first day of school. Superintendent Macaluso reported on the success of the Building Planning Team meetings. He expressed his appreciation to the administrative team, parent volunteers and committee members for their dedication to the process. He commented that while the teams were given a great deal of information regarding Data Driven Instruction, they quickly were able to identify several structures to create implementation plans.
The Superintendent discussed options with the board that would allow the students to go to the Williamson Fire Department during Fire Prevention Week. The board supports the Superintendent’s suggestion for the students to walk to the fire department with additional safety measures at intersections and transportation available in the event of inclement weather.
Under Board Reports, the board commented on the success of the summer work session. They expressed their appreciation to the administrators for their attendance and input on strategic plan development. Gary Barno, School Business Administrator, presented a brief overview on the District Reserve Funds. He also reported that the Capital Project fund will need to be reauthorized by the voters within the next two years. Wendy Havens, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction, reviewed the results from the revised New York State tests. She reminded the board that the new tests have a college and career readiness focus. While the district as a whole saw a significant drop from last year’s scores, it is comparable with other areas of the county and the state. The district is preparing information that will be sent home to assist parents in understanding the new tests and interpreting the scores.
The Board approved several CSE case summaries. The board approved the Consent Agenda, which included the substitute teacher list for 2013-2014, a stipend for Andrew Kritall for cafeteria supervision, the appointment of Kim-Marie Kleaka, Elementary School Permanent Building Substitute for the 2013-2014 school year and the probationary appointment of Amy Avery, part-time student aide. Change in appointments were approved for Deana Orr from permanent part-time monitor to probationary full time salaried monitor and Staci Harrison from a part-time 1:1 student aide to a probationary full-time 1:1 student aide.
Under New Business, the board approved the first reading of Policy 4202 – Organizational Chart and approved the following action items:
• Resolution to re-establish the District Reserve Funds
• Tax Levy for the 2013-2014 school year in the amount of $9,582,184
• Appropriate Fund Balance in the amount of $150,000 for the reduction of taxes
• Transfer of $545,000 from the Capital Reserve to the Capital Project Fund as of June 30,
2013
• Transfer of $35,000 from the Bus Purchase Reserve to the Capital Fund for the purchase of buses as authorized by voters on May 21, 2013 • Budget transfers for the 2012-2013 school year
The board also approved exemplary attendance awards for district employees for the 2012-2013 school year. Jodi Bodak, Nina Caraveo, Brian Chaffee, Rachel Liberatore, Adele Storms, Donald Brown, Joanne Scheib, Sherry Shultz, Kathryn Taylor, Matthew Elliott, Joanne Greaney, Laura Ladd, Michael Mack, LeeAnn Martin, Brenda Patrzalek, Marshall Smith, Patrick Verbridge, Nicole Baker, Sue Devlin, Tracey Eaton, Dan Schoonerman, Patricia Sheridan, Joslyn Steurrys, Colleen Boyce, Ronda Bruce, Theresa Ferré, Diane Luke, Alice Sharp.