Watervliet City School District > Board of Education > Meeting Schedule, Agendas and Minutes > Board of Education Regular Meeting May 2, 2023

Board of Education Regular Meeting May 2, 2023

Watervliet City School District
Watervliet, New York
Board of Education
Regular Meeting 
Date: May 2, 2023
Type of Meeting: Regular Meeting
Meeting Opened: 6:00 p.m.
Where: Watervliet Jr. – Sr. High School
Board Members Present:
President Sheri Senecal 
Vice President Mary Beth Whited
Heather Soroka
Timothy Delisle
Brian White
Superintendent: Dr. Donald Stevens Jr.
The meeting opened at 6:05 p.m., with President Senecal officiating.

Appointment of District Clerk Pro Tem

On a motion by Timothy Delisle, seconded by Heather Soroka and unanimously accepted, the Board appointed Jill O’Connell as District Clerk Pro-Tem for the purpose of taking the minutes of the meeting.

Public Comment 

There were no public comments. 

Reports/Comments

Student Voices Initiative, Emma Grimmick

A. Superintendent’s Report

Dr. Stevens shared the following:
  • Thank you to our Student Voices representatives.
  • Seniors shared their commitments yesterday as part of the National College Decision Day.  Here in Watervliet, we count all commitments, including college, career, trade school, armed forces, etc.
  • Senior Night baseball and softball games are this week.
  • NYS 3-8 math tests started today.  All we ask is that students do their best.
  • We have a busy month ahead with Transition Night next Tuesday, the Jr. – Sr. concert on the 11th, the budget vote on the 16th – along with Special Persons Night, prom on the 20th, National Honor Society induction on the 25th, and WES concert on the 31st.
  • I will save the budget information for the budget hearing portion of our meeting.

B. Student Council Report

There was no Student Council report.

C. Committee Reports

  • Audit Committee
    There was no report.
  • Policy Committee
    There was no report.

Meet the Candidates

Victoria Donnelly and Mary Beth Whited each introduced themselves and shared some information on why they are running for the school board.

2023–2024 Budget Hearing

Dr. Stevens and Mr. Heid provided an overview of the proposed 2023-24 budget.  It is a $37.8 million budget, which is approximately a 12% increase.  The district was given a large increase in foundation aid, at $4.4 million.  He noted that there is a separate proposition on the ballot for the leasing of school buses, which has no impact on school taxes, as it is already included in the budget.  
Dr. Stevens noted that he has been in contact with Assembly Member McDonald and we should have some final numbers for the state budget soon.  The budget adopted by the Board will not change.  Some things to note are the salary cap for retired teachers has been waived for another year, the high-impact tutoring set-aside has been rejected, and there is a priority toward providing more free school meals for low-income families – however, we are a CEP (Community Eligible Provision) for all of our students, so there should not be too much of an impact for us, since all students currently receive free meals. 

Board of Education Discussion

Brian White, on behalf of the Watervliet Little League, thanked the modified girls’ softball team and their coaches for showing up at the parade.  You could see the kids’ faces light up when they saw the players and they made it a great day for the kids.

Items Requiring Board Action

On a motion by Timothy Delisle, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board rescinded the retirement request of Tina Shufelt from the position of Elementary Teacher at the Watervliet Elementary School, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Timothy Delisle, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board accepted the resignation of Yvonne Coiteux, from the position of School Nurse at the Watervliet Jr. – Sr. High School, effective June 23, 2023, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Timothy Delisle, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the emergency appointment of Starr Harris to the position of Full-Time Bus Driver for the Watervliet City School District, effective April 17, 2023, at a rate of $24.00 per hour, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Timothy Delisle, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the emergency appointment of Katrina Vacarelli to the position of Part-Time/Substitute Bus Driver for the Watervliet City School District, effective April 24, 2023, at a rate of $24.00 per hour, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Timothy Delisle, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the emergency appointment of Bridan Sharpe to the position of Night Cleaning Supervisor at the Watervliet Elementary School for a period beginning April 1, 2023 and ending June 30, 2023, at a pro-rated stipend of $2,500.00, as recommended by the Superintendent.
 
On a motion by Heather Soroka, seconded by Timothy Delisle and accepted 4-0 (Mary Beth Whited abstained), the Board approved the adjusted rate of pay for Darryl Whited, Substitute Bus Driver, from $21.00 to $24.00, effective April 17, 2023, for any school bus driving services performed outside of his contractual work day, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Timothy Delisle, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the transfer of Rahila Adalat, from the position of Teacher Aide to the position of Teaching Assistant at the Watervliet Jr. – Sr. High School, effective May 3, 2023, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Timothy Delisle, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the following ExTRA Summer Academy Program 2023 appointments at a salary as per contract:
Watervliet Elementary School:
Kindergarten: Michaeleen Backus
1st Grade: Chelsea Shufelt
2nd Grade: Adrienne Todd
3rd Grade: Jennifer Hoefer/Rachel Manning
4th Grade: Jeanne Lance
5th Grade: Beth Jones
K-6 Co-Teach: Gina Smith 
K-5 ENL: Valerie Ellison
PE: Kelsey Logan/Brian Hoefer 
Art: Caitlyn Santiago
Summer Nurse: Sue Vogel
K-1 TA: Donna Belokopitsky
2-3 TA: Angela Wareing
4-5 TA: Karen Mahar
Watervliet Jr. – Sr. High School:
6th/7th Grade: Nikki LaBoissiere
Travel Program: Lauren Lloyd
Travel Program: Dan Ciaramella
8th/9th Grade ELA: Tami Karbowski
8th/9th Grade Math: TBD
9-12 Social Studies: Becky Jones
9-12 ELA: Kristen Hand
9-12 Science: TBD
9-12 Math: TBD
7-12 Co-Teach: TBD
K-12 ENL: Madeline Rehm
Summer Counseling: Dave Olszewski
TA 8th/9th: Haley Menze
Substitutes:
Khalan McNeff
Jessica Willson
Kim Tallmadge
Meghan Dwyer
Tina Shufelt
Robina Hussain
On a motion by Timothy Delisle, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the following Extended School Year (ESY) 2023 appointments at a salary as per contract:
Special Education Teacher(s):

Denise Cusack
Mikayla Rosier
Courtney Unser
Dan Mueller
Speech Therapist:
Leah Tremblay
Social Worker:
Alexa Giardino
Teaching Assistant(s):
Kelly Gilchrist

Nick Rivera
Janice Sogoian
Bus Monitor:
Kelly Gilchrist
Substitutes:
Tina LaVallee
Juliana Chromik
Kaleigh Hill
On a motion by Timothy Delisle, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved an additional seventeen (17) work days per person during the summer for David Olszewski, Kate McAvoy and Chelsie Clickner, Watervliet Jr. – Sr. High School Guidance Counselors, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Timothy Delisle, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved an additional six (6) work days during the summer for Veronica Wilson, Watervliet Jr. – Sr. High School Psychologist, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Timothy Delisle, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved an additional six (6) work days during the summer for Kelly Bariteau and Danielle Tetrault, Watervliet Elementary School Guidance Counselor, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Timothy Delisle, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved an additional five (5) work days during the summer for Danielle McKee, Family Opportunity Center Grant School Counselor, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Timothy Delisle, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved an additional five (5) work days during the summer for Madelyn Degler, Extended School Day/School Violence Prevention (ExTRA) Grant School Counselor, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Timothy Delisle, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the Substitute Registry submitted by BOCES, as recommended by the Superintendent (packet #14).
On a motion by Timothy Delisle, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board accepted the Internal Claims Auditor Report for the month of April 2023, submitted by Michaeleen Backus, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Timothy Delisle, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the following Treasurer’s Report for the month of March 2023, 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 Timothy Delisle, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the Revised Corrective Action Plan, prepared and submitted by Keith Heid, Business Manager, in response to the Watervliet City School District’s Independent Audit Report for the period ended June 30, 2022, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Timothy Delisle, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the following bid results, submitted by Keith Heid, Business Manager, as recommended by the Superintendent:
$9,000,000 Bond Anticipation Notes – 2023 (Renewal)
Bidder: Oppenheimer & Co., Inc.
Interest Rate: 3.1690%
Other Bidders:
  • Jeffries LLC 3.2030%
  • BNY Mellon Capital Markets 3.3799%
  • Pioneer Bank 3.7100%
On a motion by Timothy Delisle, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the following payment requests, submitted by Keith Heid, Business Manager, as recommended by the Superintendent:
WATERVLIET 2021 CAPITAL PROJECT – ADDITIONS & ALTERATIONS 
  • CSArch – A/E (03/23)
    Invoice # 5383
    $1,296.29
  • CSArch – CM (03/23)
    Invoice # 5384
    $2,534.19
  • Girvin & Ferlazzo, PC
    Statement # 28
    $86.00
  • R.F. Gordon Mechanical, LLC
    Payment Application # 014
    $84,091.76
  • TRANE US Inc.
    Invoice # 313413859
    $2,735.40
On a motion by Timothy Delisle, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the Memorandum of Agreement with the The Watervliet Teachers Association, dated April 28, 2023, as outlined in the attached, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Timothy Delisle, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the Assistive Technology Service Agreement between the Watervliet City School District and Thomas McKee, as outlined in the attached, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Timothy Delisle, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the appointment of the following Election Inspectors to work May 16, 2023, for the School District Election and Budget vote, at the rate of $125.00 per diem, as recommended by the Superintendent:
Elks Club:  Marcia Carlson, Phyllis Carroll, Karen Pelech
On a motion by Timothy Delisle, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the Board of Education Minutes for the meetings held April 4 and April 19, 2023, submitted by Bernadette L. Boardman, Clerk of the Board, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Timothy Delisle, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the Committee on Special Education’s recommendations for the meetings held March 21, March 22, March 27, March 28, March 29, March 31, April 3, April 4, April 5, April 6, April 19 and April 20, 2023, submitted by Molly McGrath, Veronica Wilson and Daniele Tetrault, CSE Chairs, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Timothy Delisle, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the Committee on Pre-School Special Education’s recommendations for the meetings held April 5, April 6 and April 19, 2023, submitted by Molly McGrath, CPSE Chair, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Timothy Delisle, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the home schooling request of the parent/guardian of the following student, as recommended by the Superintendent:
  • Student ID 90001348 – grade 2
On a motion by Timothy Delisle, seconded by Brian White and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the following Student Teacher requests at the Watervliet Elementary School, as outlined below, as recommended by the Superintendent:
  • Name(s): Matthew Pierce
    Role: Student Observer
    Cooperating Teacher(s): Samantha Walsh
    Dates: Fall 2023 Semester
On a motion by Timothy Delisle, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the following Student Teacher/Observer/Intern requests at the Watervliet Jr. – Sr. High School, as outlined below, as recommended by the Superintendent:
  • Name(s): Ian Brown
    Role: Student Teacher
    Cooperating Teacher(s): Scott Emerson
    Dates: April 17–May 12, 2023
  • Name(s): Kierra Keyes-Parker
    Role: Administrative Intern
    Cooperating Teacher(s): David Wareing
    Dates: Spring 2023 Semester (for 1 day, TBD)
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Heather Soroka and unanimously accepted, the Board accepted, with thanks the $3,000.00 donation from the estate of Vincent Ciraulo, to the Watervliet City School District Albert Morelli Scholarship Award fund, as recommended by the Superintendent.

Board of Education Discussion

Mrs. Senecal shared the following: 
  • Condolences to Ms. DeMento and her family.  
  • Condolences to the Langlais family.
  • In honor of Administrative Professional’s day, Bus Driver Appreciation Week, Principal’s Appreciation Day, School Lunch Hero Day, Teacher Appreciation Week and School Nurse Appreciation Day, we wanted to thank and recognize all of you for all of your hard work.
  • The end of the year is near.  There are many activities and events coming up.  We look forward to attending as many of the events as we can.  We hope everyone stays safe and enjoys these milestones.

Executive Session

On a motion by Timothy Delisle seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board entered into executive session at 6:36 p.m to discuss:
  • Collective negotiations pursuant to Article 14 of the Civil Service Law; and
  • Evaluation of the Superintendent.

Adjournment

On a motion by Timothy Delisle seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board adjourned executive session and closed the meeting at 7:50 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Bernadette L. Boardman
Clerk of the Board