The Regular Meeting of the Board of Education of the Floral Park-Bellerose Elementary School District was conducted at the John Lewis Childs School on Thursday, Feb. 13, at 7:30 p.m.
Minutes of the Jan. 13, 2020 Regular Meeting, treasurer’s report, schedule of disbursements, health report and cafeteria report were approved or accepted as submitted.
High School: Sewanhaka Central High School District Board of Education Trustee Ferone reported that she attended the district Musical Festival on Feb. 6. At this event, students from all five high schools came together and gave an amazing performance.
Trustee Ferone stated that former board member, Jean Ficthl, was honored at this event for the number of years she served as a trustee on the Sewanhaka Central High School District Board of Education. There was also a beautiful art show from students within the district for all to see.
District Sports Night will be held on March 4th at H. Frank Carey High School at 7:30 p.m.
This exciting event consists of representatives from all five high schools that come together for a night of activities and games.
Trustee Ferone reported that the district recently conducted a district-wide safety meeting. There were over 100 district members in attendance, including members of the Secret Service who reviewed the safety procedures in place. At the last meeting, President Ferone reported that the school district calendar for the 2020-21 school year was approved. Taryn Johnson, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, discussed the curriculum for the 2020-21 school year.
There will be additional course offerings to meet all student needs as well as a focus on critical thinking and creativity in each of the subject areas. In addition, there will be new course offerings for the seventh and eighth-grade students.
Some of these elective courses will include fashion design, Wall Street & Investing, broadcast journalism and many more. The district is also working on a Tech Book to further develop the online educational resources.
Trustee Ferone stated that the overall goal is to have a robust curriculum that enhances how the district uses technology.
Board: President Ferone reported that she recently had the pleasure of attending the 2020 New York State School Boards Capital Conference with Sottile, Fabiano and Sewanhaka Central High School District Board of Education Trustee William Leder.
President Ferone stated that they spent an eventful day lobbying in the Capital. President Ferone publicly thanked Sottile and Fabiano for putting together a remarkable financial presentation, which captured the attention of our legislators and the Governor’s office.
President Ferone stated that the time spent with the legislators was not rushed and they were able to speak on behalf of both the Floral Park-Bellerose School District and the Sewanhaka Central High School District components as well.
Superintendent: Sottile reported that on Jan. 27th, she attended a successful articulation meeting sponsored by the Leadership Foundation of Floral Park-Bellerose.
Those in attendance included the district principals, assistant principals, and administrators from Floral Park Memorial High School. Topics discussed included curriculum, discipline, clubs and activities and the pilot Model UN program.
Paul Gustafsson conducted the District-Wide Safety Meeting on Jan. 30. This committee was recently expanded to include representatives from all areas within the district as well as local police, fire and Nassau BOCES. Successful RAVE tests were conducted in both schools. RAVE panic buttons were installed on key phones around the district and “Stop the Bleed” kits will be placed in the schools as well.
Sottile publicly thanked Gustafsson for all his hard work and dedication in keeping the district current on all safety measures.
The new Apple iPads and iPad Pros have been delivered. Training will take place on Feb. 26th by an Apple professional learning expert. Training will continue within the district on March 19-20 during teacher professional development days. This is a change to the school calendar as only teachers will be in attendance on those dates. Students will not have classes.
Sottile also spoke about the recent meetings she had with state Senator Anna Kaplan and Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages. The meetings were held prior to the Albany Capital Conference to allow for more time with legislators from the State Education Committee and Governor’s Office.
A “grab- n-go” breakfast program will be piloted for one day, in one grade, in each school in February. Sottile acknowledged Karen Crenshaw, school lunch manager, and the administrators and teachers for the extra work required to conduct the pilot.
Sottile thanked the school principals and assistant principals in planning a successful kindness week in lieu of the academic breakfasts.
She also read a news email regarding the Floral Park Camel Bots #2438 First Lego League Team. This team received the Innovation Project Award for Presentation at the School-Business Partnerships of Long Island. The team will proceed to championships at Longwood High School. Sottile stated that the district is proud of all the students participating.
Bids were opened and reviewed on Feb. 12th for the Facilities Expansion Project with an anticipated bid award on March 2nd. The district plans to conduct community meetings for neighbors surrounding the affected area by construction.
Sottile recognized the following individuals: teachers Alyssa Borg and Marisa Kowalski on their great presentation on flexible seating; Tom Sheehan and his amazing accomplishment on winning the Survivor TV series; and Karen Leary on receiving her tenure appointment.
Sottile also recognized Debbie Sawicki for her numbers expertise in gathering the necessary data for the meetings with the legislators in Albany.
Michael Fabiano also received accolades for his performance and expertise in his discussions with the State legislators. Sottile stated that Senator Kaplan’s office was impressed with the information Michael Fabiano shared with them. This has prompted them to put together a Superintendents Forum to discuss the Foundation Aid which will be held during the February break.
Assistant superintendent for business, Michael Fabiano, discussed the meetings he had with newly appointed Senator Shelley Mayer, chair of the committee on education and members of the Governor’s office.
Fabiano discussed the State funding formulas and the issues that affect our district. Fabiano also acknowledged the team effort by the central office/staff in gathering all the pertinent information to present to them. Fabiano will be attending the Superintendent Forum to further discuss the issues with Foundation Aid.
Board acceptance or approval was granted for the following:
Educational Programs: Committee on Preschool Special Education reports; Committee on Special Education reports; Subcommittee on Special Education reports; Professional Development Consultant Agreements and School Life Plus report.
Personnel: Teacher Assistant Tenure Appointment for Karen Leary; Confidential Motion Reference #2020JN and Actions/Appointments, Resignations and Leaves of Absences for both Certified and Non-Certified Personnel.
Business: First Reading, Board of Education Policy #7110, Comprehensive Student Attendance Policy; Revised 2019-20 School Calendar; Stipulation of Agreement between the Floral Park-Bellerose UFSD and the ATU Transportation Unit; Professional Development Contract with TregoED; Payment to Construction Manager for Facilities Expansion Capital Project; Payment to Campbell Cassetta Architects for FPBS Interior Renovations 2018-19 Capital Projects; Payment to Branch Services for JLCS Interior Renovation 2018-19 Capital Project; Source of Funds Approval for JLCS Music Room Conversion 2019-20 Capital Projects; Nassau BOCES Letter of Intent for Logitech Crayons; NYS Transportation 2 Hour Refresher Class Instructor; SED School Bus Driver Instructor Course; NYS Education Department Fire & Visual Inspection; Payment to Flowstyle BMX for Student Assembly; Payment to Family Life Time Solutions for Parents and Teachers Workshop; Payment to Sensory Lighting and Sound for FPBS Musical Production and Budget Transfers.
Submitted by the Floral Park-Bellerose Union Free School District
