Watervliet City School District
Watervliet, New York

Board of Education
Regular Meeting
Date: January 14, 2021
Type of Meeting: Regular Meeting
Meeting Opened: 6:05 PM
Where: Livestream

Board Members Present:
President Amanda Cavanaugh
Vice President Sheri Senecal
Mary Beth Whited
Timothy Delisle

Board Members Absent: Heather Soroka

Superintendent: Dr. Lori S. Caplan

The meeting was opened at 6:05 p.m., with President Cavanaugh officiating.

Moment of Silence

For anyone going through a difficult time.

Public Comment

There were no public comments.

Reports/Comments

A. Superintendent’s Report

Dr. Caplan asked Mr. Stevens to provide a report.

Mr. Stevens shared the following:

• This past week, we held more Equity Institute Training with Progression Partners and Natalie McGee. We also held focus group meetings with sessions comprised of: students, staff, board of education and parents. We will have another meeting in February and then equity plans will be developed.
• We received new guidance from the Department of Health. Siblings of symptomatic students residing in the same household must be excluded from attending school. This applies to symptomatic students, not those who are simply quarantined.
• In an effort to be proactive, we will begin conducting surveillance rapid testing starting next Wednesday. We have sent out emails and developed a video showing students demonstrating being tested. Ten percent of the in-person population will be tested, per building, each week.
• Please be mindful that all decisions being made are under the guidance of the Department of Health. As long as we can keep it safe, in-person learning is going to continue.

  Dr. Caplan added the following:

• Regarding the COVID testing, we will be very mindful of the HIPAA rights of both students and adults. We put protocols in place with their privacy protection in mind.
• We are in month five of in-person learning. We had one virtual week in the elementary school and one at the high school, which was strictly due to quarantining adults. It had nothing to do with our infection numbers.
• I am so humbled by the administrative team who come to work early, stay late, and do anything and everything to keep us running. That holds true for the busses, clerical staff, maintenance staff, food service bus drivers. It has been amazing to watch and I am humbled by what is going on.
• We were jammed up a little bit in our kitchen this week, and I called Joe Corr and he was able to help us out. The 24 component districts have always worked together, but not like this. We are lending each other people, resources and transportation. North Colonie still transports our CTE kids, so I’d like to give a shout out to North Colonie, as well.
• Our food services and our farm-to-school shared service with BOCES literally kept us in person. Kelly and Michael were both in the kitchen making food and serving lunches. Eric, the Food Service Manager, and Darryl, were delivering meals. There’s not enough words to express my gratitude for what went on.
• I thought that we would be telling kids to pull up their masks and stay six feet apart, but we don’t have to. They get it. The adults get it and the kids get it, and we are now halfway through the school year.
• I want to echo what Amanda said with all that is going on right now with social, political and racial injustices, political unrest. My heart breaks for the children who are not only living through a global pandemic, but all the sadness all around them. Shame on some of the adults that have allowed things that are going on in the world to go on. My thoughts are with people that are protecting and serving and gave the ultimate sacrifice.
• It is Board Recognition Month, and I want to recognize the Board members. The greatest thank you that you gave us is sending us your children in person, which says that you trust us. That is the highest appreciation that our administrators, teachers and I can receive from you. It is a thankless job, but I want to thank you on behalf of the entire administrative team, WSSA, WTA, clerical and support staff.
• Dr. Caplan asked if any of the Board members had any questions about COVID testing.

The Board did not have any questions.

B. Student Council Report

There was no Student Council report.

C. Committee Reports

i. Audit Committee

There was no Audit Committee report.

ii. Policy Committee

There was no Policy Committee report.

First Reading of Revised Policies:

• Duties of the Extraclassroom Activity Fund Central Treasurer and Faculty Auditor
• Public Complaints
• Extraclassroom Activity Fund
• Information Security Breach and Notification
• Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
• Alcohol, Tobacco, Drugs, and Other Substances

iii. SAVE Committee

There was no SAVE Committee report.

Board of Education Discussion

There was no Board of Education Discussion.

Items Requiring Board Action

On a motion by Mary Beth Whited seconded by Timothy Delisle and unanimously accepted, the Board awarded the status of tenure to Lisa Suders, in the area of Social Studies, effective January 31, 2021, as recommended by the Superintendent.

On a motion by Mary Beth Whited seconded by Timothy Delisle and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the resignation of Kathleen Darling, from the position of Food Service Worker at the Watervliet Elementary School, effective December 17, 2020, as recommended by the Superintendent.

On a motion by Mary Beth Whited seconded by Timothy Delisle and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the resignation of Bonnie Sicko, from the position of Lunch Monitor at the Watervliet Elementary School, effective January 4, 2021, as recommended by the Superintendent.

On a motion by Mary Beth Whited seconded by Timothy Delisle and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the resignation of Charles Rorie, from the position of Lunch Monitor at the Watervliet Elementary School, effective January 4, 2021, 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 Kirsten DeMento as a Title IX Compliance Officer 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 emergency appointment of David Wareing to the position of Substitute Bus Driver, for the Watervliet City School District, effective January 4, 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 appointment of Michaeleen Backus to the position of Interim Internal Claims Auditor, for the Watervliet City School District, effective December 21, 2020, at an hourly rate of $30.00, 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 November 2020, 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 approved the Internal Claims Auditor Report for the month of December 2020, 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 Payment for Unused Sick Leave, in the amount of $3,925.00, for Mike Motkowicz, upon his retirement from the Watervliet City School District, effective December 2, 2020, per the terms of the Employee Benefits Document for Non-Aligned Employees, 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 Corrective Action Plan prepared in response to the Watervliet City School District Independent Audit Report for the period ended June 30, 2020, by Teal, Becker & Chiaramonte, 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 Letter of Agreement with Russell Sage College, allowing students to earn college credit for PED 225 Concepts of Fitness and Wellness, 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 Donald Stevens to take EDL 743 – Foundations of Inquiry, EDL 755 – Doctoral Research I and EDL 773: Dissertation Writing III courses at Sage College beginning January 21, 2021, 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 December 10, 2020, 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 December 2, December 8, December 17, December 21 and December 22, 2020, submitted by Janelle Yanni, 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 Committee on Pre-School Special Education’s recommendations for the meeting held December 16, 2020, submitted by Janelle Yanni, 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 following Student Teacher requests at the Watervliet Elementary School, as outlined below, as recommended by the Superintendent:

• Name(s): Alex Rollo
  Role: Student Teacher
  Cooperating Teacher(s): Michelle Brown
  Dates: January 18–March 31, 2021
• Name(s): Kristen Emanuele
  Role: Student Teacher
  Cooperating Teacher(s): Kara Cunningham
  Dates: January 20–April 12, 2021
• Name(s): Carley Hillman
  Role: Student Teacher
  Cooperating Teacher(s): Ena Minnick
  Dates: March 15–May 15, 2021

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 2020–2021 school year, effective December 14, 2020, as recommended by the Superintendent:

• Jah’dae Hytmiah, Grade 1
• Samara Hytmiah, Grade 2
  Parents/Guardians: Janine Grevious and Sherworth Hytmiah

On a motion by Timothy Delisle seconded by Sheri Senecal and unanimously accepted, the Board approved the recognized and thanked Carleen Legault, on behalf of Arsenal City Kids, for donating 500 Handmade Masks to be given to students in need in the Watervliet Elementary School, as recommended by the Superintendent.

On a motion by Mary Beth Whited seconded by Timothy Delisle and unanimously accepted, the Board recognized and thanked Anthony Curro for donating Weights to the weight room at the Watervliet Jr. – Sr. High School, as recommended by the Superintendent.

On a motion by Sheri Senecal seconded by Mary Beth Whited and unanimously accepted, the Board recognized and thanked Joseph Dragone, Senior Executive Officer at BOCES, for facilitating a donation of 309 Refurbished Laptops from Ron Sampson, Senior Vice President and General Manager at US Fab Operations, and Tom Caulfield, Chief Executive Officer at GlobalFoundries, to be utilized for remote instruction, as recommended by the Superintendent.

On a motion by Sheri Senecal seconded by Timothy Delisle and unanimously accepted, the Board recognized and thanked Frank Gilchrist, on behalf of Arsenal City Kids, for donating Backpacks Filled with School Supplies to be given to students in need in the Watervliet Elementary School, 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 Diane Solomon to the position of Long-Term Substitute Spanish Teacher (Virtual), at the Watervliet Jr. – Sr. High School, effective January 11, 2021 at a rate of $125.00 per diem, 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 Molly Byron to the position of Long-Term Substitute English Teacher, at the Watervliet Jr. – Sr. High School, effective January 15, 2021 at a rate of $125.00 per diem, as recommended by the Superintendent.

Dr. Caplan congratulated Miss Suders on her tenure.

Mr. Groat noted that Miss Suders changed tenure areas with a few years under her belt. He congratulated her and noted that she is a great addition to the team.

Board Discussion

Mrs. Cavanaugh congratulated Miss Suders.

Adjournment

On a motion by Timothy Delisle seconded by Mary Beth Whited, and unanimously accepted, the Board adjourned the meeting at 6:27 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Bernadette L. Boardman
Clerk of the Board