Watervliet City School District
Watervliet, New York
Board of Education
Date: January 11, 2018
Type of meeting: Regular Meeting
Meeting opened: 5:30 p.m.
Where: Watervliet Jr./Sr. High School
Board members present: President, Sheri Senecal; Vice President, Heather Soroka; Mary Beth Whited; Steven Hoffman
Board member absent: Jeffrey Shellenberger
Superintendent: Dr. Lori S. Caplan
Student council rep.: Patrick Ethier
The meeting was opened at 5:30 p.m., with President Sheri Senecal officiating.
Adjournment to Executive Session
On a motion by Sheri Senecal, seconded by Heather Soroka and unanimously accepted, the Board adjourned to Executive Session at 5:30 p.m. to discuss the potential litigation and the termination of a particular employee.
Re-convene
On a motion by Heather Soroka, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board re-convened the meeting at 6:10 p.m.
Comments From the Floor
There were no comments from the floor.
Old Business
There was no old business to be discussed.
Board, Staff and Student Reports
Patrick Ethier, Student Council Representative, shared the following:
- Members of the Student Council will be present to greet Congressman Tonko tomorrow, as he stops by to donate books to the District. Mrs. Scotland’s class made a banner for the event.
- Student Council will be holding the “Watervliet has Heart” campaign once again. They will be collecting non-perishable items to send to troops overseas.
Use of Student Data & Professional Development Presentation by Donald Stevens
First Reading of Revised Policies:
- Board of Education Members: Nomination and Election
- Appointments and Designations by the Board of Education
- Business of the Annual District Election
Items Requiring Board Action
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Steven Hoffman and unanimously accepted, the board tabled the first reading of the revised Family and Medical Leave Act policy, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Steven Hoffman, seconded by Heather Soroka and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the Board of Education Minutes for the meeting held December 14, 2017, submitted by Bernadette L. Boardman, Clerk of the Board, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Steven Hoffman, seconded by Heather Soroka and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the Committee on Special Education’s recommendations for the meetings held December 5, December 8, December 19 and December 22, 2017, submitted by Janelle Yanni, CSE Chair, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Steven Hoffman, seconded by Heather Soroka and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the Committee on Pre-School Special Education’s recommendations for the meetings held December 11 and December 20, 2017, submitted by Janelle Yanni, CPSE Chair, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Steven Hoffman, seconded by Heather Soroka and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the following Treasurer’s Reports for the month of November 2017, 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 Steven Hoffman and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the Corrective Action Plan, prepared and submitted by Keith Heid, Business Manager, in response to the Watervliet City School District Independent Audit Report for the period ended June 30, 2017, by Teal, Becker & Chiaramonte, as recommended by the Superintendent.
Discussion: Mary Beth Whited noted that the Audit Committee reviewed the plan and had no questions.
On a motion by Steven Hoffman, seconded by Heather Soroka and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the Proposed Amendments to the Contract Agreement Between the Superintendent of the Watervliet City School District and the Watervliet Teachers’ Association, as outlined in the attached, effective July 1, 2018, for the period of July 1, 2018 – June 30, 2026, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Steven Hoffman, seconded by Heather Soroka and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the following resolution:
WHEREAS: the Board of Education has reviewed the terms of a proposed Settlement Agreement and General Release to resolve potential litigation; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED: That the Board of Education hereby approves the Settlement Agreement and General Release to resolve potential litigation related to Index No. 7354-17, and authorizes the Superintendent of Schools to execute the agreement on behalf of the District and to take any other necessary steps to implement the agreement
On a motion by Steven Hoffman, seconded by Heather Soroka and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the following resolution:
RESOLVED: that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools, and review of all materials submitted, the Board hereby votes to terminate the
probationary employment of Social Worker Maria Westbrook-Mindel, effective February 11, 2018. The Superintendent shall promptly notify the employee of this decision.
On a motion by Steven Hoffman, seconded by Heather Soroka and unanimously accepted, the Board accepted the resignation of Andrew Lynch from the position of Home Tutor for the Watervliet City School District, effective December 22, 2017, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Steven Hoffman, seconded by Heather Soroka and unanimously accepted, the Board accepted the resignation of Laura Abate from the position of ENL Teacher at the Watervliet Elementary School, effective January 15, 2018, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Steven Hoffman, seconded by Heather Soroka and unanimously accepted, the Board accepted the resignation of Georgeann Anderson from the position of Teaching Assistant at the Watervliet Elementary School, effective January 12, 2018, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Steven Hoffman, seconded by Heather Soroka and unanimously accepted, the Board accepted the resignation of Carissa Zuniga from the position of (0.6) Part-Time ENL Teacher at the Watervliet Elementary School, effective January 19, 2018, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Steven Hoffman, seconded by Heather Soroka and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the probationary appointment of Carissa Zuniga to the position of ENL Teacher, at the Watervliet Elementary School, beginning January 22, 2018, at a Step 2 salary, plus Associate or Bachelor degree stipends, as per contract. The probationary period shall
expire on January 22, 2022.
On a motion by Steven Hoffman, seconded by Heather Soroka and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the appointment of Sydney Slate to the position of Home Tutor, for the Watervliet City School District, for a period effective January 2, 2018, at a rate of $25.00 per hour, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Steven Hoffman, seconded by Heather Soroka and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the appointment of Beth Lipson to the position of Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) Coordinator, at the Watervliet Jr./Sr. High School, effective January 12, 2018, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Steven Hoffman, seconded by Heather Soroka and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the request for Veronica Bedard, to serve as an Administrative Intern for the Watervliet City School District during the 2017 – 2018 school year, or until the 800 hour requirement is met, as recommended by the Superintendent.
Discussion: President Senecal recognized Miss Bedard, who is present this evening.
On a motion by Steven Hoffman, seconded by Heather Soroka and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the addition of the following new courses at the Watervliet Jr./Sr. High School, as outlined in the attached, submitted by Kirsten DeMento, Director of Curriculum, as recommended by the Superintendent:
- Introduction to Coding;
- Independent Living 1 and 2;
- Current Topics in STEM;
- Introduction to Information Technology; and
- Advertising.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Steven Hoffman and unanimously accepted, the Board accepted, with thanks the donation of several gift cards from Ted’s Fish Fry, to be used for the monthly gold card drawings, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Heather Soroka and unanimously accepted, the Board recognized and thanked Kelli Fennen for adopting a Watervliet family of six and donating gifts to the family for the holidays, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Steven Hoffman, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board accepted, with thanks the donation of $500.00 worth of clothing vouchers, from Clothe-A-Child, to assist with clothing needs of students in the Watervliet City School District, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Heather Soroka, seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board accepted, with thanks the donation of $400.00 worth of gift cards donated “In the Spirit of Christmas” by Patrick Martone, to support families of students in the Watervliet City School District, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Steven Hoffman, seconded by Heather Soroka and unanimously accepted, the Board recognized and thanked William Hisgen, from HD Supply Works, for adopting a Watervliet family of five and donating gifts to the family for the holidays, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Mary Beth Whited, seconded by Heather Soroka and unanimously accepted, the Board recognized and thanked Ronda Stevens, from Kohl’s Department Store, for adopting a Watervliet family of five and donating gifts to the family for the holidays, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Steven Hoffman, seconded by Heather Soroka and unanimously accepted, the Board accepted, with thanks the donation of boxes of toys from the Watervliet Police Department, to provide holiday gifts to district children, as recommended by the Superintendent.
On a motion by Steven Hoffman, seconded by Heather Soroka and unanimously accepted, the Board accept the Internal Claims Auditor Report for the month of December 2017, submitted by Michaeleen Backus, as recommended by the Superintendent.
New Business
There was no new business to be discussed.
Comments From the Floor
Dr. Caplan shared the following:
- Thank you to Alex from Gentleman’s Corner barbershop for donating his time and talent to cut some of our students’ hair.
- Thank you to Mr. Emerson and the WTA for negotiations and a fair contract.
- Would like to commend everyone for their generosity during the holidays. The WHA Adopt-A-Family was a success.
Mrs. Boardman added a thank you to Mrs. Scotland’s class for wrapping and tagging all of the gifts.
Mr. Groat noted that an Alt-Ed program will be starting up for students. The program will have CTE and credit recovery components. Students will begin attending in March to ensure that the program is a good fit.
Mr. Emerson read a statement on behalf of the WTA thanking the Board of Education, Dr. Caplan and Mr. Heid for successful negotiations and the new contract.
Mrs. Senecal thanked Dr. Caplan, the cleaning crew, and Mr. Capitula for the additional bus runs that were provided during the cold spell.
Adjournment
On a motion by Steven Hoffman, seconded by Mary Beth Whited, and unanimously accepted, the Board adjourned the meeting at 6:45 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.