Watervliet City School District
Watervliet, New York
Board of Education
Regular Meeting
Date: March 12, 2024
Type of Meeting: Regular Meeting
Meeting Opened: 6:05 p.m.
Where: Watervliet Jr. – Sr. High School
Board Members Present:
President Sheri Senecal
Vice President Mary Beth Whited
Heather Soroka
Brian White
Victoria Donnelly
Superintendent: Dr. Donald Stevens Jr.
Student Council Rep: Jada Green
The meeting opened at 6:05 p.m., with President Senecal officiating.
Public Comment
Watervliet Police Chief Joseph Centanni thanked the district for being flexible with SRO Tito Negron’s schedule. He noted that the WPD was in critical condition with staffing, as are many police departments across the country. Tito returned to the district yesterday and the goal for September is to move him to five days per week. He added that the SRO program is the #1 program of importance and it is beneficial to the community.
Mrs. Senecal thanked Chief Centanni on behalf of the Board of Education
Presentations/Reports/Comments
2024 – 2025 Budget Workshop #2 Presentation Dr. Donald Stevens Jr. & Keith Heid
A second Budget Workshop was presented with updated budget information, recommendations and proposals. The board and community were able to ask questions and provide comments.
At Budget Workshop #1, some private school parents asked if transportation could be provided to their students. Dr. Stevens provided the cost in this presentation. In response, Mrs. Donnelly asked if the value of the CDTA swiper card can be given to families who transport their students to private schools. She also asked if there could be mileage reimbursement.
Mr. Heid explained that neither of those options are allowed.
Mrs. Senecal thanked Dr. Stevens and Mr. Heid for the update and for calculating transportation expenses.
A. Superintendent’s Report
Dr. Stevens shared the following:
- Thank you to the Chief of Police for visiting and sharing his perspective.
- Thank you to the five incredible teachers who are retiring at the end of the school year, including Peter Strand (32 years), Yuriy Berin (25 years), Tracey Coffey (30 years), Mary Collett (30 years), and Tina Shufelt (32 years). He added that, in total, there was 149 years of teaching experience. He thanked Mrs. Shufelt and Mrs. Collett for attending tonight’s board meeting.
- Friday is Superintendent’s Conference Day. There is no school for students. He thanked the food service staff for preparing and providing lunch for us that day.
- PTA game night will be held at WJSHS on Thursday night.
- Meet the Coaches Night for spring sports is next Tuesday night.
- If you are interested in a career in education, there is a career fair on Monday March 18 Hosted by Capital Region BOCES, there will be 57 vendors, districts, State Ed, etc.
- Board members have been given an invite to attend the Superintendent’s Equity Committee on May 1. It is a networking event hosted by Diane Wynn from NYSED and Jay Worona from NYSSBA. They will be talking about some of the challenges being faced with DEI.
- Have a great spring break, the week of March 29 – April 7.
C. Committee Reports
- Audit Committee
There was nothing to report. - Policy Committee
Second Reading of Revised Policies:- Entitlement to Attend – Age and Residency
- Transition Services
- Identification and Register of Children with Disabilities (Child Find)
- Children with Disabilities
- Timeout and Physical Restraint
Board of Education Discussion
- Mrs. Whited stated that International Night was phenomenal. It was so well-attended that you couldn’t move through the cafeteria. Thank you to all of the staff who participated. The food was good, and the dancers were fantastic.
- Mr. White echoed Mrs. Whited’s sentiments about International Night. He noted that it was well put together, ran smoothly, and he was very impressed with the dancers. He said “there were a lot of activities for kids to do and we had a fun night.”
- Mrs. Whited thanked the kitchen staff for all that they did for International Night.
Items Requiring Board Action
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Brian White and unanimously accepted, the Board rescinded the appointment of the following Coaches for the 2023–2024 school year, as recommended by the Superintendent:
WATERVLIET JUNIOR-SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Coaching Winter:
Junior Varsity Girls’ Basketball: Beth Jones
Indoor Track Assistant: Olivia Skylstad
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Brian White and unanimously accepted, the Board accepted the resignation of Taylor Daniels from the position of Keyboard Specialist at the Watervliet Jr.–Sr. High School, effective February 26, 2024, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Brian White and unanimously accepted, the Board accepted the resignation of Stephanie Sutton from the position of Social Studies Teacher at the Watervliet Jr.–Sr. High School, effective June 30, 2024, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Brian White and unanimously accepted, the Board accepted the resignation of Christa Farruggio from the position of English Language Arts Teacher at the Watervliet Jr.–Sr. High School, effective June 30, 2024, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Brian White and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the retirement request of Peter Strand from the position of Physical Education Teacher at the Watervliet Jr.–Sr. High School, effective June 30, 2024, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Brian White and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the retirement request of Yuriy Berin from the position of Math Teacher at the Watervliet Jr.–Sr. High School, effective June 30, 2024, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Heather Soroka, seconded by Sheri Senecal and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the retirement request of Tina Shufelt from the position of Elementary Teacher at the Watervliet Elementary School, effective June 30, 2024, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Victoria Donnelly, seconded by Heather Soroka and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the retirement request of Mary Collett from the position of Music Teacher at the Watervliet Elementary School, effective June 30, 2024, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Brian White and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the retirement request of Tracy Coffey from the position of Science Teacher at the Watervliet Jr.–Sr. High School, effective June 30, 2024, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Brian White and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the emergency appointment of Ian Brown to the position of Building Substitute at the Watervliet Jr.–Sr. High School, effective February 12, 2024, at a rate of $125.00 per diem, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Brian White and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the emergency appointment of Diana Stanfield to the position of Food Service Worker at the Watervliet Jr.–Sr. High School, for a one year probationary period effective February 26, 2024, at an hourly rate of $17.00, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Brian White and accepted 3-0 (Heather Soroka and Sheri Senecal abstained), the Board approved the appointment of the following Coaches for the 2023–2024 school year, pending fingerprint clearance and fulfillment of NYSED coaching requirements, at a rate as per contract, unless outlined below, as recommended by the Superintendent:
WATERVLIET JUNIOR-SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
- Coaching Winter:
- Wrestling Volunteer: Kennon Engelman
- Coaching Spring:
- Softball: Michael Bendon
- Softball Assistant: Josh Bagnardi
- Modified Softball: Beth Jones
- Softball Volunteer Assistant: Bob Senecal
- Baseball: Pete Soroka
- Baseball Assistant: Mark Cady
- Boys’ Track and Field: Melique Garcia
- Girls’ Track & Field: Olivia Haskins
- Track & Field Assistant: James Cocca
- Modified Baseball: Nicholas Grolley
- Modified Baseball Volunteer: Michael Grolley
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Brian White and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the appointment of the following Coach for the 2024– 2025 school year, pending fingerprint clearance and fulfillment of NYSED coaching requirements, at a rate as per contract, unless outlined below, as recommended by the Superintendent:
WATERVLIET JUNIOR-SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
- Coaching Fall:
- Football: Michael Oliver
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Brian White and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the Substitute Registry submitted by BOCES, as recommended by the Superintendent (packet #11).
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Brian White and unanimously accepted, the Board accepted the Internal Claims Auditor Report for the month of February 2024, submitted by Michaeleen Backus, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Brian White and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the following Treasurer’s Reports for the month of January 2024, submitted by Keith Heid, Business Manager, as recommended by the Superintendent:
- Schedule of Warrants & Payrolls
- Revenue Status Report
- Cash & Investments
- Appropriation Status Report
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Brian White and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the following payment requests, submitted by Keith Heid, Business Manager, as recommended by the Superintendent:
WATERVLIET 2022 ARPA CAPITAL PROJECT – ADDITIONS & ALTERATIONS
- DLC Electric
Payment Application # 11
$211,726.50
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Brian White and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the Increased Daily Rate for Teaching Assistant Substitutes, to $110.00 per day, effective January 29, 2024, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Brian White and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the Memorandum of Agreement with the Achievements, PLLC, for the New York State Early Pre-Kindergarten Program, effective July 1, 2024–June 30, 2025, as outlined in the attached, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Brian White and unanimously accepted, the Board adopt the following policies, as recommended by the Superintendent:
- Entitlement to Attend – Age and Residency
- Transition Services
- Identification and Register of Children with Disabilities (Child Find)
- Children with Disabilities
- Timeout and Physical Restraint
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Brian White and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the Board of Education Minutes for the meeting held February 13, 2024, submitted by Bernadette L. Boardman, Clerk of the Board, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Brian White and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the Committee on Special Education’s recommendations for the meetings held February 5, February 7, February 8, February 13, February 15, February 16, February 26, February 29, and March 1, 2024, submitted by Veronica Wilson and Daniele Tetrault, CSE Chairs, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Brian White and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the Committee on Pre-School Special Education’s recommendations for the meeting held February 16, 2024, submitted by Molly McGrath, CPSE Chair, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Brian White and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the home schooling request of the parents/guardians of the following student, as recommended by the Superintendent:
- Student ID 900014864 – grade K
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Brian White and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the following Student Teacher/Observer request at the Watervliet Elementary School, as outlined below, as recommended by the Superintendent:
- Name: Aleksandra Puzdrowska
Role: Student Observer
Cooperating Staff: Sue Vogel
Dates: Spring 2024
On a motion by Victoria Donnelly, seconded by Sheri Senecal and accepted 4-0 (Brian White abstained), the Board approved the following Russell Sage students to teach STEAM lessons to students in 5th grade classes at the Watervliet Elementary School, as outlined in the attached, as recommended by the Superintendent:
Names:
- Imani Cruz
- Nicole Nicholas-Keegan
- Melanie Martinez
- Irene Leonard
- Maya Koennecke
- Allison Watt
- Paola Rivera
- Leslie Marroquin-Telon
- Jeana Monaco
- Dezmaria Francis
- Kayla Atkinson
- Taylor Burnell
- Peyton White
- Michael Re
- Abdullah Sanaullah
- Anthony Manzo
- Eric Odiase
- Jaylen Cuevas
- Megan Daniels
- Ryan Perez
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Brian White and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the following Student Teacher/Observer requests at the Watervliet Jr. – Sr. High School, as outlined below, as recommended by the Superintendent:
Name: Devin Mayo
Role: Student Teacher/Observer
Cooperating Teacher(s): Michaela Bissonette
Dates: Spring 2024
Name: Zachary Gregg
Role: Student Teacher/Observer
Cooperating Teacher(s): Scott Emerson
Dates: Spring 2024
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Brian White and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the New Book Request for the book entitled “A Little Princess,” by Frances Hodgson Burnett, to be added to the Grade 7 English curriculum at the Watervliet Jr.–Sr. High School beginning in the 2024–2025 school year, as outlined in the attached, as recommended by the Superintendent.
Board of Education Discussion
Mrs. Senecal shared the following:
- Thank you to all of the teachers and staff on tonight’s agenda for their time and commitment to our district. Best wishes to them in the future.
- Welcome to all of our new hires being appointed this evening.
- Thank you to all of the winter coaches and athletes.
- Shout out to Daheem Wilson for scoring his 1000th career point and to Jessenia George for being recognized by Section 2. All of the winter sports had a ton of success. We are proud of you! The bowling team made sectionals after recently being reinstated. Best of luck to everyone trying out for a spring sport.
- Special thanks to all of the staff, families and guests that made it to International Night. It was very well attended and there was music, food and games.
- Congratulations to the 75 students who made high honor roll for two consecutive marking periods. It looked like they had a fun time ice-skating.
- Congratulations to all of the students who had their artwork displayed at the Empire State Plaza. The display is open until March 22.
- Shout out to LaJoy York for speaking to 9th and 10th grade students about BOCES programs and highlighting women in trades.
- Thank you to the PTA for hosting our first budget workshop. Shout out to the PTA board for all of their hard work. If you have not joined yet, make sure you do.
- There are a lot of upcoming events such as game night, spring pictures, EPK registration, UPK registration, budget workshop, and spring recess.
- The next BOE meeting is April 9, where we will have our final budget presentation and adoption.
Adjournment
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Heather Soroka and unanimously accepted, the Board adjourned the meeting at 7:01 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Bernadette L. Boardman
Clerk of the Board