September 3, 2020

The Waterford-Halfmoon Union Free School District Regular Meeting dated August 20, 2020 was called to order at 7:00pm by Mrs. Ricci.

Present: (in person) Marcia Ricci, David Lee, Jack Catanzarita, Denise Carutasu, Carolyn Bell, Jamie Maloney

Also Present: (in person) Patrick Pomerville, Rachel Schwendinger, Mike Robbins, Joe Siracuse

Also Present (via Webex) J. Prock, Chris Scanlan, Joel Richardson, Karen Jones, Ken Williams, A. Atwood, Cady Kuebler, Meg Reynolds, B. Balfe, Quincy Rene, 

Absent: Tammi Dehler

There were no comments from the public regarding items on this evening’s agenda.

Comments from Administration

Mr. Siracuse thanked the Custodial Staff for the extraordinary work they have done over the last six months to clean and prepare our school to be a safe environment for our returning staff and students. He thanked Rachel Schwendinger, Erick Wulff and Kyle Elliott for their leadership and everyone's willingness to go above and beyond during this time. 

Mr. Siracuse also thanked all of the faculty and staff for their willingness to help out and positive outlooks while we prepare for students to return next week. Mr. Siracuse stated we are working on pick up and drop off procedures, but assured all that we will have it figured out for the first day of school. 

Mr. Siracuse also wanted to thank the staff in the Business Office for all of the hard work they have done over the summer to help make this a successful school year.

Mr. Pomerville let the Board know that Mr. Robbins will be making a presentation this evening regarding the current status of the return of athletics and to thank him for the great job he has done keeping an eye on the latest updates and preparing for their restart despite there still being many questions. 

Mr. Pomerville requested the Board table the fourth item on the Agenda as it had been updated and placed on the Addendum.

Mr. Pomerville reported the first two days with staff went well and everyone came in with a lot of good ideas to make it a successful year for our students. He also wanted to express his appreciation to the Administrative Team for all they have done as well. He stated we would have two more days of Professional Development to prepare for live-stream education with students on the first two days of orientation before we begin our first full day of school. Mr. Pomerville reminded everyone that September 9th and 10th would be half days for students to go over new health protocols along with other topics.

Mr. Pomerville shared that the District would be holding another virtual Parent Meeting on Tuesday, September 8 from 4:00-5:30pm to go over opening day specifics and answer any questions parents might have. The link to join the meeting is on the District website.

Mr. Pomerville reported the District is finalizing bus routes and they will be on The Parent Portal on Wednesday, September 9th. 

Mr. Pomerville stated that Rachel Schwendinger would be sharing information regarding the New York State budget cuts.

Lastly, Mr. Pomerville gave the Board an update on the District’s search for a new Director of Facilities. He reported we had a strong potential candidate, however this person would need to give his current employer two weeks notice, and Mr. Pomerville was asking the Board to appoint an interim Director of Facilities for the first few weeks of the school year to supervise and assist custodians to maintain our building at the standards we need to keep everyone as safe and healthy as possible.

Presentation: Return to Interscholastic Athletics, Mr. Robbins (see attached).

Ms. Schwendinger provided the Board with an update on the New York State cuts to school aid budgets. She reported that the cuts were worse than the District had hoped for. The state had decided to cut 20% across the board on all school aid and this had resulted in $1.6 million being cut from our budget instead of the expected $900,000.  The way the aid is structured, it will cut the scheduled amounts over time, not in one lump sum and this will have an effect on our cash flow. At this point cuts are expected to continue into the fall, and it is not clear if they are permanent. We should have more information in October or November. As of right now, a 20% cut in aid is 7.5% of our total budget.

Ms. Schwendinger reported she had completed the transportation bids and was able to negotiate a new contract with Durham Transportation that should result in savings for the District.

ACTION

On motion by Mr. Lee, seconded by Mrs. Maloney and by a vote of 6-0, the Board approved the minutes of the August 20, 2020 Board Meeting.

On motion by Mr. Lee, seconded by Mrs. Maloney and by a vote of 6-0, the Board approved the Budget Transfers for 2019-2020.

On motion by Mr. Lee, seconded by Mrs. Maloney and by a vote of 6-0, the Board approved the appointment of Marcia Ricci as the 2020-2021 NYSSBA Voting Delegate.

On motion by Mr. Lee, seconded by Mrs. Maloney and by a vote of 6-0, the Board approved the probationary and provisional appointment of Brooke Shinski as Senior Typist, Guidance Office effective August 31, 2020; pending successful completion of Saratoga County Civil Service Requirements; salary per the CSEA Contract.

On motion by Mr. Lee, seconded by Mrs. Maloney and by a vote of 6-0, the Board approved the three year probationary period of Karen Jones, Elementary Teacher, effective September 1, 2020 through September 1, 2023, salary per the WTA contract on Step 3MS42; NYS Professional Certification Pre Kindergarten, Kindergarten and Grades 1-6.

On motion by Mr. Lee, seconded by Mrs. Maloney and by a vote of 6-0, the Board approved the 2020-2021 Transportation Contract for Fulton County and Montgomery County Region with Durham Transportation costs as follows;

                        Per Mile Cost:                                                                            $1.99                                      Daily Cost per bus monitor                                                         $83.30                                  Cost for transportation during COVID-19 Pandemic                     81%

On motion by Mr. Lee, seconded by Mrs. Maloney and by a vote of 6-0, the Board approved the 2020-2021 Transportation Contract for Schenectady County Region with Durham Transportation costs as follows;

                        Per Mile Cost:                                                                            $1.97                                      Daily Cost per bus monitor                                                         $83.30                                  Cost for transportation during COVID-19 Pandemic                     81%

 

On motion by Mr. Lee, seconded by Mrs. Maloney and by a vote of 6-0, the Board approved the 2020-2021 Transportation Contract for Northern Rensselaer County Region with Durham Transportation costs as follows;

                        Per Mile Cost:                                                                            $4.17                                     Daily Cost per bus monitor                                                         $83.30                                   Cost for transportation during COVID-19 Pandemic                     81%

On motion by Mr. Lee, seconded by Mrs. Maloney and by a vote of 6-0, the Board approved the 2020-2021 Transportation Contract for Saratoga County, Washington County and Warren County Region with Durham Transportation costs as follows;
                     
 
Per Mile Cost:                                                              $2.07                               
 
Daily Cost per bus monitor                                         $83.30                                   Cost for transportation during COVID-19 Pandemic      81%

 

On motion by Mr. Lee, seconded by Mrs. Maloney and by a vote of 6-0, the Board approved the 2020-2021 Transportation Contract for Albany County and Southern Rensselaer County Region with Durham Transportation costs as follows;

                        Per Mile Cost:                                                                            $2.49                                      Daily Cost per bus monitor                                                         $83.30                                  Cost for transportation during COVID-19 Pandemic                     81%

On motion by Mr. Lee, seconded by Mrs. Maloney and by a vote of 6-0, the Board approved the extension of the maternity leave for Petra Frank, ENL Teacher for the Waterford-Halfmoon Union Free School District, to January 1, 2021 as outlined in the WTA contract.

On motion by Mr. Lee, seconded by Mrs. Maloney and by a vote of 6-0, the Board approved the appointment of Lisa Hackel as Substitute Custodian for the 2020-2021 school year; salary per the CSEA contract.

On motion by Mr. Lee, seconded by Mrs. Maloney and by a vote of 6-0, the Board approved the one year probationary and provisional appointment of Courtney Edwards as School Lunch Manager, effective September 8, 2020, pending successful completion of Saratoga County Civil Service requirements; prorated salary of $47,500; sixteen sick days, three personal days and ten vacation days to be prorated; other benefits per the CSEA contract.

On motion by Mr. Lee, seconded by Mrs. Maloney and by a vote of 6-0, the Board approved the contract between Waterford-Halfmoon UFSD and the School Age Child Care (SACC) program dated September 3, 2020.

On motion by Mr. Lee, seconded by Mrs. Maloney and by a vote of 6-0, the Board approved the appointment of Daniel Norris as Substitute Custodian for the 2020-2021 school year; salary per the CSEA contract; pending fingerprint approval.

On motion by Mr. Lee, seconded by Mrs. Maloney and by a vote of 6-0, the Board approved the appointment of Carol Burniche as Transportation Router for the 2020-2021 school year with a stipend of $5000; effective August 15, 2020, prorated for the portion of the year worked.

On motion by Mr. Lee, seconded by Mrs. Maloney and by a vote of 6-0, the Board approved the appointment of Jason Davis as the Chief Emergency Resource Officer for the 2020-2021 school year with a stipend of $2500; effective September 3, 2020, prorated for the portion of the year worked.

On motion by Mr. Lee, seconded by Mrs. Maloney and by a vote of 6-0, the Board approved the appointment of the following individuals to the position of substitute bus monitor for the 2020-21 school year, effective September 3, 2020:

  • Lisa Hackel
  • Sonya Daniels
  • Kathleen Early
  • Kristie Brundige
  • Meagan Tremblay
  • Kimberly Bryan
  • Barbara Cicchinelli

On motion by Mr. Lee, seconded by Mrs. Maloney and by a vote of 6-0, the Board approved the appointment of  approved the appointment of Brian Dengler as Interim Director of Facilities at $400 per day and $50 per day for expenses; effective September 4, 2020 until September 25, 2020; prorated for the days actually worked during this time period.

COMMENTS

Mr. John Prock stated his concerns about the hiring of new employees and the increase in salaries at this time, especially with the increase in taxes due to the tax certiorari with Momentive Performance Materials, Inc. and the 20% state aid cuts. He wondered if we could be doing more to save money. He was particularly concerned with the new positions of School Lunch Manager and Interim Director of Facilities. Mr. Pomerville responded that due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, we need to have a Director of Facilities in the building at this time to ensure the health and safety of all staff and students returning to the building. Mr. Pomerville also pointed out that the hiring of a new permanent Director of Facilities will be a savings to the District in the long run. Mr. Pomerville shared that there are new expectations for the  position of School Lunch Manager and that our new hire would be bringing changes to the program as well as working summer hours.

Town resident Quincy Renee expressed her concerns regarding the contract for the Interim Director of Facilities. She wondered if this compensation was normal in this type of situation. Mr. Pomerville explained that this indeed is normal and that Mr. Dengler is bringing a lot of previous experience to this situation and will be a great asset to assist us in keeping the building at the standards that are now required with staff and students back in the building. Ms. Schwendinger also pointed out that we have saved money by going without a Director of Facilities for an extended period of time. Mr. Pomerville reiterated that the maximum payment for services would be $450 per day.

On motion by Mr. Lee, seconded by Mrs. Maloney and by a vote of 6-0, the Board went into executive session at 7:50 to discuss a personnel matter. They returned to regular session at 9:20 and adjourned.

                                                                              Donna Cramer                                                                                                                          District Clerk