Watervliet City School District
Watervliet, New York
Board of Education
Date: August 10, 2017
Type of Meeting: Regular Meeting
Meeting opened: 6 p.m.
Where: Watervliet Jr./Sr. High School
Board members present: President, Sheri Senecal; Jeffrey Shellenberger; Mary Beth Whited; Steven Hoffman
Board members absent: Vice President, Heather Soroka
Superintendent: Dr. Lori S. Caplan
The meeting was opened at 6 p.m., with President Sheri Senecal officiating.
Oath of Office
Superintendent Caplan administered the Oath of Office to Mary Beth Whited. Mrs. Whited will serve her first three-year term of office.
Comments From the Floor
There were no comments from the floor.
Old Business
Discussion of Revised Policy: Non-Resident Students (Admission of) Dr. Caplan explained the issues that could arise in adopting the proposed revisions to the policy. The original intent was to change the date from June 1 to April 1 and to add wording related to transportation of non-resident students.
Board, Staff and Student Reports
Second Reading of Revised Policies:
- Social Media Policy
- Student Use of Computerized Information Resources
Items Requiring Board Action
Mr. Shellenberger made a motion to send the “Non-Resident Students (Admission of)” policy back to the Committee. Mr. Shellenberger withdrew the motion. Mr. Shellenberger made motion to omit the additional language added by the committee (items d and e under “Other Non-resident Students”) and consider this the first reading of the revised policy. Steven Hoffman seconded the motion and the motion passed unanimously.
On a motion by Jeffrey Shellenberger, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board adopted the following Policies, as recommended by the Superintendent:
- Social Media Policy
- Student Use of Computerized Information Resources
On a motion by Jeffrey Shellenberger, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the Board of Education Minutes for the meeting held July 6, 2017, submitted by Bernadette L. Boardman, Clerk of the Board, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Jeffrey Shellenberger, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the Committee on Special Education’s recommendations for the meetings held June 16, June 20, June 21 and July 13, 2017, submitted by Janelle Yanni, CSE Chair, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Jeffrey Shellenberger, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the Committee on Pre-School Special Education’s recommendations for the meetings held June 21 and July 26, 2017, submitted by Janelle Yanni, CPSE Chair, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Jeffrey Shellenberger, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the Substitute Registry submitted by BOCES, as recommended by the Superintendent (packets #22 and #23).
On a motion by Jeffrey Shellenberger, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the Final 2016 – 2017 AS-7 Contract with Capital Region BOCES, submitted by Keith Heid, Business Manager, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Jeffrey Shellenberger, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the Preliminary 2017 – 2018 AS-7 Contract with Capital Region BOCES, submitted by Keith Heid, Business Manager, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Jeffrey Shellenberger, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board tabled the policy statements and the eligibility guidelines for Free and Reduced Price Meals for the 2017 – 2018 school year, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Jeffrey Shellenberger, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the request for Dr. Lori S. Caplan, Superintendent of Schools, to attend the following conferences/professional development meetings during the 2017 – 2018 school year:
- July 18 – 19, 2017, Superintendents’ Conference, Minnowbrook Conference Center, Blue Mountain Lake, NY
- July 26, 2017, Distributed Leadership with James Spillane, Capital Region BOCES, Albany, NY
- August 3, 2017, CASDA 12th Annual Mel Osterman School Law Conference, Albany, NY
- September 24 – 26, 2017, NYSCOSS Fall Leadership Summit, Saratoga Springs, NY
- November 16 – 17, 2017, NYSCOSS Executive Committee, Albany, NY
- January 18 – 19, 2018, NYSCOSS Executive Committee, Albany, NY
- February 14 – 17, 2018, AASA National Conference on Education, Nashville, TN
- March 3 – 6, 2018, NYSCOSS Winter Institute, Albany, NY
- April 25 – 27, 2018, NYSCOSS Spring Leadership Conference, Albany, NY
On a motion by Jeffrey Shellenberger, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board rescinded the probationary appointment of Diane LeCours to the position of Art Teacher, Grades 7-12, at the Watervliet Jr./Sr. High School, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Jeffrey Shellenberger, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board accepted the resignation of Holly Gleason from the position of Clerk Typist at the Watervliet Elementary School, effective July 14, 2017, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Jeffrey Shellenberger, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the approve the maternity leave request for Tami Karbowski, effective October 9, 2017 through December 3, 2017, to return to work on December 4, 2017, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Jeffrey Shellenberger, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the following 2017 Summer Academy appointments at a salary as per contract, effective July 10, 2017, as recommended by the Superintendent:
- Amy Hayes, Teaching Assistant, Middle School – 2 hrs./day
- Lauren Ryder, Teaching Assistant, Middle School – 2 hrs./day
- Tina Shufelt, Substitute Teacher
On a motion by Jeffrey Shellenberger, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the probationary appointment of Meghan Wallas to the position of Teaching Assistant, at the Watervliet Elementary School, beginning September 5, 2017, at a Step 1 salary, plus Associate or Bachelor degree stipends, as per contract. The probationary
period shall expire on September 5, 2021.
On a motion by Jeffrey Shellenberger, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the probationary appointment of Rebecca Haessler to the position of Teaching Assistant, at the Watervliet Elementary School, beginning September 5, 2017, at a Step 1 salary, plus Associate or Bachelor degree stipends, as per contract. The probationary
period shall expire on September 5, 2021.
On a motion by Jeffrey Shellenberger, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the appointment of Donald Winterbourne to the position of Hall Monitor, at the Watervliet Jr./Sr. High School, for a probationary period beginning September 5, 2017 and ending September 5, 2018, at a Step 1 hourly rate, plus Associate or Bachelor degree stipends, as per contract, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Jeffrey Shellenberger, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the appointment of Carissa Zuniga to the position of ESL Teacher (.5), at the Watervliet Elementary School, beginning September 5, 2017, at a Step 1 salary, plus master’s degree and credit hours, as per contract, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Jeffrey Shellenberger, seconded by Steven Hoffman and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the appointment of Ashleigh McCoy to the position of Long-Term Substitute Elementary Teacher (Grade 3), at the Watervliet Elementary School, for a period beginning September 18, 2017, at a rate of $125.00 per diem, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Jeffrey Shellenberger, seconded by Steven Hoffman and unanimously accepted, the Board tabled the appointment of Jenna Marcal to the position of Long-Term Substitute Reading Specialist, at the Watervliet Elementary School, for a period beginning October 2, 2017, at a rate of $125.00 per diem, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Jeffrey Shellenberger, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board rescinded the appointment of Mike Manning from the position of Varsity/Junior Varsity Assistant Football Coach at the Watervliet Jr./Sr. High School, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Jeffrey Shellenberger, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the appointment of the following Coaches for the 2017– 2018 school year, pending fingerprint clearance and fulfillment of NYSED coaching requirements, at a rate as per contract, as recommended by the Superintendent:
Watervliet Junior/Senior High School
Coaching Fall:
- Varsity/Junior Varsity Assistant Football: Joe Conlan
- Volunteer Varsity/Junior Varsity Assistant Football: Mike Manning
- Volunteer Varsity/Junior Varsity Assistant Football: Todd Smith
- Modified/Varsity Cross Country Coach: Steven Gallagher
Coaching Winter:
- Modified Girls’ Basketball: Bryan Capitula
- Modified Boys’ Basketball: John Bolt
On a motion by Jeffrey Shellenberger, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the appoint the following staff to the Watervliet Jr./Sr. High School Department Chairs and Club/Class Advisors for the 2017 – 2018 school year, at a rate as per contract, as recommended by the Superintendent:
Clubs/Class Advisors:
- Class of 2021: Roni O’Brien and Elizabeth Slate
On a motion by Jeffrey Shellenberger, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved and adopted the Special Education Handbook 2017 – 2018 for the Watervliet City School District, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Jeffrey Shellenberger, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved and adopted the Special Education Handbook Action Plan 2016 – 2021 for the Watervliet City School District, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Jeffrey Shellenberger, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved and adopted the Professional Development Plan 2017 – 2020 for the Watervliet City School District, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Jeffrey Shellenberger, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved and adopted the Building Level Emergency Response Plan 2017 – 2018 for the Watervliet Jr. /Sr. High School, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Jeffrey Shellenberger, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved and adopted the Building Level Emergency Response Plan 2017 – 2018 for the Watervliet Elementary School, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Jeffrey Shellenberger, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved and adopted the 2015 – 2018 Watervliet City School District Board of Education Goals, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Jeffrey Shellenberger, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board acknowledged the donation of $1,000.00 from the Watervliet Teachers’ Association to the Watervliet Civic Center, to be used to fund the Backpack Food Program at the Watervliet Elementary School, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Jeffrey Shellenberger, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board accepted, with thanks, the donation of $500.65 from the class of 2017 and approve the establishment of a new account called “Class of 2017 Needs Fund,” for the purpose of sponsoring students who cannot afford to attend school events or participate in school-related activities, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Jeffrey Shellenberger, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the home schooling request of Peter and Jessica Havnen for their child, Julia Holly Havnen, Grade 1, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Jeffrey Shellenberger, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the home schooling request of Jamal and Chasity Stewart for their children, Jonathan Lindsay, Grade 6; and Micah Stewart, Grade 1, as recommended by the Superintendent.
New Business
There was no new business to be discussed.
Comments from the floor
Dr. Caplan shared the following:
- Congratulations to Mrs. Lewinter on the birth of her son, Nathaniel.
- The Summer Travel Program presentations were today. They did an incredible job. The program is excellent! They will present at the September Board of Education meeting.
- Opening Day is September 5. Members of the Board of Education are welcome to attend.
- The Kid’s Count Dinner is September 16. Jack Weaver and Meg Fronczek are two people being honored this year.
- The Arsenal Golf Tournament will be held again this year, however the proceeds will go to other organizations due to the amount of work involved for District staff.
- Notes from the Administrator’s Retreat.
Mr. Shellenberger commended the Administrators for the notes from the retreat and thanked them for all that they do.
Mr. Emerson thanked the Superintendent and Administrators for putting forth an effort to get teachers in place for the start of the new school year.
Mrs. Senecal thanked the WTA for their donation to the backpack program.
Mr. Hoffman noted that he will not be at the September Board meeting.
Adjournment
On a motion by Jeffrey Shellenberger, seconded by Mary Beth Whited, and unanimously
accepted, the Board adjourned the meeting at 6:36 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Bernadette L. Boardman
Clerk of the Board
Note: All district appointments are subject to fingerprint clearance by the NYS Education Department and verification of Permanent or Pending Certification by NYS.