Watervliet City School District
Watervliet, New York
Board of Education
Regular Meeting
Date: November 18, 2021
Type of Meeting: Regular Meeting
Meeting Opened: 6:03 p.m.
Where: Watervliet Jr. – Sr. High School Conference Room
Board Members Present:
President Amanda Cavanaugh
Vice President Sheri Senecal
Heather Soroka
Mary Beth Whited
Timothy Delisle
Superintendent: Dr. Donald Stevens, Jr.
Student Council Rep: Gwendolyn Pair
The meeting was opened at 6:03 p.m., with President Cavanaugh officiating.
Public Comment
There were no public comments.
Reports/Comments
School Resource Officer Program Chief Joseph Centanni, Lieutenant Brian Strock and Officer Evangelista Negron
Mrs. Cavanaugh, Mr. Delisle and Dr. Stevens each welcomed and congratulated Officer Negron.
External Auditors’ Report Discussion Keith Heid
A. Superintendent’s Report
Dr. Stevens shared the following:
- The district hosted a vaccination clinic for children ages 5+, the first in Albany County. Thank you to Whitney Young Health. We had 300 doses available and we were able to vaccinate WCSD students, as well as children from Green Island, Cohoes and Lansingburgh. Approximately 205 students were vaccinated. December 2 is the second dose and additional doses will be available that day, as well.
- Anyone who wants to be vaccinated does not have to wait for a clinic. You can call Whitney Young Health to make an appointment.
- The WJSHS Chorus sang at the City’s Veteran’s Day ceremony and they did a great job.
- We have updated the draft of the Revised COVID Mitigation Protocols. Many districts are easing up on restrictions due to upcoming indoor winter sports. We changed #17, High Risk Activities, to 50% capacity for spectators. Vaccinations are still required.
- We have updated the districts logo and are asking the Board to adopt it this evening.
- The WJSHS winter concert is December 8 in the auditorium. WES will not have a winter concert this year.
B. Student Council Report
Gwendolyn Pair, Student Council representative, shared the following:
- Members of the Student Council met with Mr. Whited to discuss menu items they like and to make suggestions for future menu items. They will be meeting with Mr. Whited again to sample food.
- Mrs. Diaz has visited all 9-12 Social Studies classrooms to discuss the Puerto Rican Hispanic Youth Leadership Institute and to offer our students the opportunity to apply for this program. It is a state-wide program that can provide students with the opportunity to earn a college credit in public speaking. It also allows accepted students to be on the floor of the NYS Assembly to discuss and debate topics from across the state. Participating seniors can apply for scholarship money, as well. Thank you to Ms. Diaz for sharing this opportunity.
Mrs. Whited told Miss Pair that the Civic Center is looking for counselors to work part-time after school or in the evenings at the Civic Center. She asked Miss Pair to share that information with members of the Student Council.
C. Committee Reports
There were no committee reports.
Board of Education Discussion
Mrs. Senecal Congratulated Dr. Stevens, noting that she is hearing a lot of great things and she is looking forward to the new SRO starting.
Items Requiring Board Action
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited seconded by Timothy Delisle and unanimously accepted, the Board accepted the resignation of Deborah Lutz, from the position of Lunch Monitor at the Watervliet Elementary School, effective October 7, 2021, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited seconded by Timothy Delisle and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the termination of Kimberly Schreck, from the position of Part-Time Cafeteria Worker at the Watervliet Jr. – Sr. High School, effective October 15, 2021, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited seconded by Timothy Delisle and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the emergency probationary appointment of Margarita Rodriguez to the position of Lunch Monitor, at the Watervliet Elementary School, for a probationary period beginning October 14, 2021 and ending October 14, 2022, at an hourly rate of $15.00, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited seconded by Timothy Delisle and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the emergency probationary appointment of ZaQuawn Gordon to the position of Hall Monitor at the Watervliet Jr. – Sr. High School, for a probationary period beginning November 3, 2021 and ending November 3, 2022, at an hourly rate of $12.94, per WSSA contract, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited seconded by Timothy Delisle and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the emergency probationary appointment of Shaquise Herring to the position of Cafeteria Worker, at the Watervliet Jr. – Sr. High School, for a probationary period beginning November 8, 2021 and ending November 8, 2022, at an hourly rate of $15.00, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited seconded by Timothy Delisle and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the emergency appointment of Shelly Cummings to the position of Virtual Tutor, for the Watervliet City School District, effective October 19, 2021, at an hourly rate of $25.00, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited seconded by Timothy Delisle and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the emergency appointment of Marianne Marchesi to the position of Tutor, for the Watervliet City School District, effective October 19, 2021, at an hourly rate of $25.00, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited seconded by Timothy Delisle and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the appointment of the following Clubs/Class Advisors and Detention Monitors at the Watervliet Jr. – Sr. High School for the 2021 – 2022 school year, at a rate as per contract, as recommended by the Superintendent:
Clubs/Class Advisors:
Class of 2023: Christa Farruggio
Newspaper Club: Rebecca Sweeney
Varsity Club: Meghan Fronczek
Detention Monitors:
Detention Monitor, Middle School: Dana Kowalchyk
Detention Monitor, High School: Meghan Fronczek
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited seconded by Timothy Delisle and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the appointment of the following ExTRA Program Advisors for the 2021 – 2022 school year, at a pro-rated rate per contract, as recommended by the Superintendent:
WJSHS:
Cooking Club: Briana Haluska
Study Tables for ELLs: Madeline Rehm
WES:
Art Club: Rosie Sharpe
Board Games: Tina Spenard
ExTRA Program Substitutes: Kaleigh McGrouty, Stephanie Sutton, Louisa Vaughan, Kelly Gilchrist
On a motion by Timothy Delisle seconded by Heather Soroka and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the appointment of the following Coaches for the 2021– 2022 school year, pending fingerprint clearance and fulfillment of NYSED coaching requirements, at a rate as per contract, as recommended by the Superintendent:
Coaching Fall:
Varsity Football Volunteer: ZaQuawn Gordon
Coaching Winter:
Varsity Boys Basketball: Orlando DiBacco
Junior Varsity Basketball: Ryan Donlon
Modified Boys Basketball: Matt Plew
Varsity Girls Basketball: Kelsey Logan
Modified Girls Basketball: J’Neal Sharpe
Varsity Wrestling: Dennis Lane
Varsity Wrestling Assistant: Dan Gibson
Modified Wrestling: Peyton White
Volunteer Wrestling: Joshua Veshia
Boys Varsity Indoor Track: Melique Garcia
Girls Varsity Indoor Track: Briana Haluska
Varsity Cheerleading: Daniele Mele
Volunteer Cheerleading: Chelsie Clickner
Volunteer Cheerleading: Hannah O’Neill
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited seconded by Sheri Senecal and accepted 4-0 (Heather Soroka abstained), the Board approved the Substitute Registry submitted by BOCES, as recommended by the Superintendent (packets #2 and #3).
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited seconded by Timothy Delisle and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the accepted the Internal Claims Auditor Report for the month of October 2021, submitted by Michaeleen Backus, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited seconded by Timothy Delisle and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the following Treasurer’s Reports for the month of September 2021, 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 Timothy Delisle and unanimously accepted, the Board accepted the External Auditors’ Annual Report for the period July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021, submitted by Teal, Becker and Chiaramonte CPAs, P.C., as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited seconded by Timothy Delisle 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
Atlantic Testing Lab.
Invoice #235655
$7,181.25
CSArch
Invoice #3688
$15,555.48
Invoice #3689
$17,739.34
DLC Electric, LLC
Payment App. #006
$230,728.40
Gallo Construction
Payment App. #006
$49,861.33
General Roofing Contractors
Payment App. #005
$457,102.00
R.F. Gordon Mechanical LLC
Payment App. #005
$103,742.38
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited seconded by Timothy Delisle and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the Payment for Unused Sick & Vacation Leave in the amount of $91,633.67 for Dr. Lori Caplan, upon her retirement from the Watervliet City School District, effective October 31, 2021, per Paragraphs 12 & 13 of the Employment Agreement between the Board of Education of the Watervliet City School District and Dr. Lori Caplan, submitted by Keith Heid, Business Manager, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited seconded by Timothy Delisle and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the Agreement between the City of Watervliet and The Watervliet City School District, for a School Resource Officer Program, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited seconded by Timothy Delisle and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the Data Privacy Agreement with Eduware, Inc., submitted by Kirsten DeMento, Data Protection Officer, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited seconded by Timothy Delisle and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the Data Privacy Agreement with Syscloud, submitted by Kirsten DeMento, Data Protection Officer, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited seconded by Timothy Delisle and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the request for Sarah Horaczek to take EPl 700 – Organizational Management and Leadership in Education (3) and EPl 663 – Networked Communities: Building a Culture of Practice Improvement (3) courses at SUNY Albany beginning January 19, 2022, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited seconded by Timothy Delisle and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the request for Carmen Diaz to take EDL 755 – Doctoral Research I: Problems of Practice, EDL 743 – Foundations of Inquiry III and EDL 773 – Doctoral Research III courses at Russell Sage College beginning January 2022, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited seconded by Timothy Delisle and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the Board of Education Minutes for the meeting held October 14, 2021, submitted by Bernadette L. Boardman, Clerk of the Board, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited seconded by Timothy Delisle and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the Committee on Special Education’s recommendations for the meetings held October 1, October 13, October 20, October 26, October 27, November 1 and November 2, 2021, submitted by Veronica Bedard and Danielle Tetrault, CSE Chairs, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited seconded by Timothy Delisle and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the Committee on Pre-School Special Education’s recommendations for the meetings held October 20 and November 2, 2021, submitted by Sarah Horaczek, CPSE Chair, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited seconded by Timothy Delisle and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the 504 Committee’s recommendations for the meeting held October 27, 2021, submitted by Veronica Bedard and Danielle Tetrault, 504 Chairs, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited seconded by Timothy Delisle and unanimously accepted, the Board approved and adopted the revised COVID-19 Layered Mitigation Protocols: 2021 – 2022 for the Watervliet City School District, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited seconded by Timothy Delisle and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the approved and adopted the New Logo for the Watervliet City School District, submitted by Dr. Donald Stevens, Jr., as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited seconded by Timothy Delisle and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the addition of a new textbook, “The Poet X,” to the 10th grade English Curriculum at the Watervliet Jr. – Sr. High School, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited seconded by Timothy Delisle and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the following home schooling request, for the remainder of the 2021 – 2022 school year, effective November 8, 2021, as recommended by the Superintendent:
Student: Malachi McQueen, Grade 8
Parent/Guardian: Moet Slaughter November 18, 2021
On a motion by Sheri Senecal seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board recognized and thanked Todd Woodruff, on behalf of Ferguson Waterworks, for donating Sanitizer and Sanitizing Wipes to the Watervliet City School District, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Timothy Delisle seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board recognized and thanked Dr. Lori Caplan for donating a Desk and Two Bookshelves to the Watervliet City School District, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Sheri Senecal seconded by Heather Soroka and unanimously accepted, the Board recognized and thanked Marilyn Ficalora for making and donating a 20 hats and 3 pairs of gloves to the Watervliet Elementary School, to be handed out to students in need, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Sheri Senecal seconded by Heather Soroka and unanimously accepted, the Board recognized and thanked CAP COM Federal Credit Union for donating 20 lunch boxes to the Watervliet Elementary School, to be handed out to students in need, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Heather Soroka seconded by Timothy Delisle and unanimously accepted, the Board recognized and thanked George’s Market and Nursery for donating 20 pumpkins to the Watervliet Elementary School PTA, to be used for the pumpkin decorating contest, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited seconded by Sheri Senecal and unanimously accepted, the Board recognized and thanked the family of Kalee Ferrandino, Grade 1, for donating Eight pumpkins to the Watervliet Elementary School PTA, to be used for the pumpkin decorating contest, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Sheri Senecal seconded by Heather Soroka and unanimously accepted, the Board recognized and thanked Stewarts Shops for donating a 100 Single-Scoop Gift Cards to the Watervliet Elementary School, to be used as prizes for students who receive Positive Behavior Referrals, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited seconded by Timothy Delisle and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the excision of Outdated Books, submitted Carmen Diaz, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited seconded by Timothy Delisle and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the excision of Broken Calculators, submitted by Carmen Diaz, as recommended by the Superintendent.
Executive Session
On a motion by Timothy Delisle, seconded by Heather Soroka and unanimously accepted, the Board entered into an executive session at 6:42 p.m. to discuss matters related to the Superintendent’s contract and the Superintendent’s evaluation.
Adjournment
On a motion by Sheri Senecal seconded by Timothy Delisle and unanimously accepted, the Board adjourned at 7:46 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Bernadette L. Boardman
Clerk of the Board