JEFFERSON CENTRAL SCHOOL

BOARD OF EDUCATION

MARCH 17, 2009

MEETING MINUTES

 

MEMBERS PRESENT:

George Hotaling, Terry Hait, Greg Starheim, Michael Jonker (arrived 7:06 p.m.)

 

 

MEMBERS ABSENT:

Andy VanGlad

 

 

OTHERS PRESENT:

Carl Mummenthey, Superintendent; Jon Hillis, Director of Instructional Support; Dulcie Fowler, District Clerk; Scott Wolfe, CSArch (left at 7:35 p.m.); Joy Musella, John Toroni, Andi Cammer (arrived 7:03 p.m.)

 

At 7:00 p.m. Board of Education Vice President George Hotaling called the meeting to order.  Mr. Hotaling noted the fire exits and asked everyone to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Meeting Called to Order

 

 

Greg Starheim made a motion seconded by Terry Hait to approve the consent agenda items marked “C” as follows:

          C  Agenda for  March 17, 2009

          C  Minutes for February 23, 2009

          C  Approval of Warrants (#65, #66, #67, #70, #71

               and ICA Reports (February 25, 2009 and March 11, 2009)  

          C Approval of Extracurricular Activity Reports  

                 (February 2009)

          C  Approval of Monthly Budget Status Reports

          C  Review and Approval of Treasurer’s Report

               (January 31, 2009)

                                                                         Motion Carried 3-0

Consent Agenda Items

 

 

Positive Highlights and Calendar of Events

Mr. Mummenthey reviewed the Calendar of Events with the Board. 

 

Mr. Mummenthey stated that Bess Slicer participated in the state-level Poetry-Out-Loud competition in Albany.  She made it through two rounds.  He thanked Mrs. Perry, Mrs. Little and Mrs. Clayton for helping with this event.

 

Michael Cammer and Mary Mitsopoulos will be going to the History Day state-wide competition.  Both students won their respective divisions at the local competition earlier this month.

 

We had a number of students whose artwork is displayed at the Cyr Center.  Dove Henry took Best of Show (Pencil Marker).  Special Recognition of Exemplary Work went to Rianna Starheim (photography).  Others with artwork displayed were:  Courtney Wade, Rachel Rockwell, Glenn Wyble, Christy Harasimowicz, Taylor Schulte, Jillian Collins, Shaila Carr, Natalia Sacks, Cara Staib, Kenzie Manning, Ben Sharib and Becky Bivona.

 

Mr. Hillis stated that our elementary classes celebrated 100th day.

 

3-8 math assessment grading will be completed at the end of the month.

 

 

Winter sports have ended and spring sports have begun.  Practice for baseball and softball have started. 

 

We had a power outage on Wednesday.  We used our emergency evacuation drill which went well.  We had three buses of students go to Charlotte Valley and three buses of students went to Stamford Central.  NYSEG first reported that we would have our electric back by 9:30, which is why we transported students to the different districts.  It was then reported to us that our electric would be on by 12:30.  At that time Mr. Mummenthey decided to close school.  All buses returned to Jefferson Central and then went on their normal bus routes to bring students home.  Mr. Mummenthey met with the Crisis Team to review how things went and see if there were any improvements that could be made.

 

Mr. Toroni mentioned that Barb Stoesser has 7-8 pieces of her artwork that will be displayed at UCCA on Friday.

 

ONC BOCES Annual Meeting

Mr. Mummenthey mentioned that the ONC BCOES Annual meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 7, 2009 at OAOC in Milford.  The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m.  Please let Dulcie know if you will be attending and, if you are, what your choice is for dinner.

 

Capital Project Update

Mr. Mummenthey introduced Scott Wolfe from CSArch. 

 

Mr. Wolfe said he was there to review the Asbestos Abatement bids.  He reviewed the handout of the bids with the Board that was in there packets.  Sullivan Contracting, Inc. did have the lowest bid (Base bid:  $58,000; Alt-1:  $15,000; Total w/Alt:  $73,000).  He did interview them and he is pleased to report that they covered everything well.  They confirmed the bid prices.  They did propose a different way of doing the job.  The contract states they would start on Thursday, April 9th.  They would like to start one day early, as the bulk of the work is the set-up work.  They will be going through the front window with the debris instead of going through the building.  Mr. Wolfe asked the Board to approve the following:

1)      He recommends approving the Sullivan Contracting, Inc. contract #01A.

2)      He is asking for the Board to approve the acceleration of the  job.

 

Mr. Wolfe asked if the Board had any questions.

 

George Hotaling asked Mr. Wolfe if he had any background information on Sullivan Contracting, Inc..  Mr. Wolfe said they have a resume of experience, they are recognized by the Department of Labor and have pre-work documents in order.  PSI and Mr. Wolfe are both endorsing them.

 

Greg Starheim asked what Sullivan Contracting, Inc. will be doing with the asbestos.  Mr. Wolfe said they need to dispose of the asbestos legally but he did not know where they were going with it.

 

Greg Starheim asked where our liability ends.  Mr. Mummenthey stated we always have some liability.  We have submitted insurance information to CSArch and we have a copy of Sullivan Contracting, Inc.’s Certificate of Insurance on file.

Mr. Jonker asked if they will be cutting through the concrete where they will be taking the asbestos out of the building.  Mr. Wolfe said that they will be but they will put it back to its original state or the architects will direct them otherwise.

 

The Board thanked Mr. Wolfe for coming in and reviewing the bids and answering their questions.

Informational Items

 

 

 

Joy Musella asked if we were going to be fined for having asbestos in the building.  Mr. Mummenthey stated that that we would not be fined as we reported it to the State Education Department as soon as it was found. 

 

George Hotaling then asked if they could move directly to item E.1. on the agenda.   The Board agreed to move to that item.

Public Comment

 

 

Michael Jonker made a motion seconded by Greg Starheim to award the Asbestos Abatement Bid (Contract #01A) to Sullivan Contracting, Inc. with a base bid of $58,000; with Alternate:  Shot-Crete Installation at $15,000; as per the bid proposal.                                       

                                                                           Motion Carried 4-0 

Asbestos Abatement Bid Award

Sullivan Contracting, Inc.

 

 

Terry Hait made a motion seconded by Michael Jonker to appoint PSI, Inc. to provide project and air monitoring services for Asbestos Abatement Project #821-8A0158, with terms as specified in the enclosed service agreement.

 

Greg Starheim stated that we should have firm cost projections associated with this contract.  Mr. Wolfe stated that project monitoring contracts tend to be more open-ended.  CSArch monitors PSI’s work through inspection of daily logs.  There is a certain amount of trust we afford PSI under the contract.  Mr. Wolfe mentioned that the workspace is a concentrated area and that CS Arch will be on-site before, during, and after PSI’s work.  If the contractor (Sullivan) gets done sooner, the monitoring costs will be less;  if the work takes longer, the monitoring costs will increase, too.  Mr. Wolfe noted that the CSArch contract number can be included on PSI’s proposal for clarity’s sake.

 

Terry Hait confirmed that they will be starting on April 8th.  Mr. Wolfe said that they will be working 8-10 hours per day Wednesday – Friday.  They will likely work on Saturday, but may skip the weekend if they are making good progress.

 

Michael Jonker asked how long the monitor stays after contractors leave.  Mr. Wolfe said the monitor will be here after the contractors leave as they need to run pumps for a few hours.

 

Mr. Wolfe confirmed that there is pre-work scheduled on the 25th.  All parties will be here.

 

The Board thanked Mr. Wolfe once again for answering their questions.

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. Mummenthey recommended that PSI re-draft their contract to include the CSArch project number and a good-faith estimate or “cost cap” for the Board’s review.  With that documentation in place, he will re-submit the contract to the Board for review and approval.

 

Terry Hait rescinded her motion. 

 

Michael Jonker made a motion seconded by Greg Starheim to table the Abatement Monitoring service agreement until the wording of the document includes CSArch’s Project number, dates of service, and a cap on spending.                                       Motion Carried 4-0

Abatement Monitoring:  PSI, Inc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Motion Rescinded

 

Motion to Table Resolution

 

 

Greg Starheim made a motion seconded by Michael Jonker to approve the following Building and Grounds Request Form:

 

Person/Organization:    Little League/Richard Pasa

Activity:                          Practice

Facility Usage:                Gym & Field

Date(s):                            3/21/09 – 5/2/09

Time:                               4:30 – 6:00 p.m.

 

Person/Organization:    Boy Scouts/Danielle Merwin

Activity:                          Registration

Facility Usage:               Atrium

Date(s):                           3/19/09

Time:                              6:00 p.m.

                                                                            Motion Carried 4-0

Buildings and Grounds Request Form

 

 

Terry Hait made a motion seconded by Greg Starheim to approve the Memorandum of Understanding between Jefferson Central School and Delaware Opportunities, Inc. for coordinated Pre-K services.

                                                                            Motion Carried 4-0

Delaware Opportunities, Inc.

Memorandum of Understanding

 

 

 

Michael Jonker made a motion seconded by Greg Starheim to accept the grant award of $775.00 from the NYS Alliance for Arts Education for the Nature Poetry Project and approves an increase to budget code A2110-400 in the amount of $775.00.

                                                                            Motion Carried 4-0

Acceptance of Grant Award &

Budget Code Increase

 

 

No Student Business.

Student Business

 

 

 

Greg Starheim made a motion seconded by Terry Hait to appoint Robert Foland and Linda Crandall as substitute cleaners to our substitute registry for the remainder of the 2008-2009 school year.           

                                                                           Motion Carried 4-0

Substitute Appointment

Foland/Crandall

 

 

 

Michael Jonker made a motion seconded by Terry Hait to approve the creation of the following position:

 

Title:                           K-12 Principal

Tenure Area:              Administration and Supervision:  K-12                   

                                   Principal

Certification:             Valid NYS certification

                                  (SBL, SDL, SAS, or SDA)

Bargaining Unit:        Individual contract of employment

Effective Date:          September 1, 2009

Salary and Benefits:  Negotiable, as per written terms of

                                  employment

Reason:                     Improved administrative capacity

 

                                                                            Motion Carried 4-0

Creation of K-12 Principal Position

 

 


Terry Hait made a motion seconded by Greg Starheim to abolish the following position:

 

Title:                     Director of Instructional Support

Tenure Area:        N/A (Teacher on Special Assignment/Internship)

Bargaining Unit:  Individual contract of employment

Effective Date:    August 31, 2009

Reason:                Duties absorbed by new K-12 principal

                                                                           Motion Carried 4-0

 

Abolishment of

Director of Instructional Support

 

 

Fiscal Policies – First Reading

Mr. Mummenthey asked if this could be tabled to the next meeting as some of the policies referenced other policies the Board has not reviewed.  The Board agreed to table this until the next meeting.

Policies

 

 

No public comment.

Public Comment

 

 

Budget Development 2009-2010

Mr. Mummenthey noted that there is one 5-year term board seat up this year.  Current incumbent is Greg Starheim.

 

Mr. Mummenthey reviewed the budget calendar with the Board.  He then reviewed a handout of the budget with 3 scenarios. The first handout had the Deficit Reduction Assessment included, 1.4 FTE reduction to teaching staff, deep program cuts, overall expenditure reduction (-.54%), and a tax levy increase of 7.1%.

 

The second handout had full relief of Deficit Reduction Assessment, 1.0 FTE reduction to teaching staff, some program cuts, overall expenditure increase of just .32% (no-growth budget), and a tax levy increase of 3.17%.

 

The third handout had full relief of Deficit Reduction Assessment, no reductions in teaching staff, limited program cuts, overall expenditure increase of 1.19%, and a tax levy increase of 5.26%.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. Mummenthey complimented Mrs. Musella for looking into ways to have student dental continued if we discontinue the BOCES dental program.  She did find a tooth mobile that will come to the school a couple of times a year and give students and staff dental care.  The firm accepts most insurance and has a sliding-scale fee schedule for those who lack insurance.

 

Driver Education has also been looked at.  We have run it through the school.  If we go through BOCES it will be $400/student and we usually have 4-5 students.  Through BOCES, the service generates State Aid.

 

RFP for Legal Services

Mr. Mummenthey reviewed the memo with the Board that was in their packets.  Four proposals were received with one proposal coming in after the deadline.  The following proposals were reviewed by the Board:

  1. Bond, Schoeneck, and King (Albany, NY)         
  2. Harris Beach PLLC (Albany, Saratoga, NY)
  3. Hogan, Sarzynski, Lynch, Surowka, and DeWind, LLP (Binghamton, NY)
  4. Lemery Greisler LLC (Albany and Saratoga, NY)

 

 

Mr. Mummenthey did note that the Board can request interviews as it was included in the RFP.  The Board will finalize their decision at next month’s meeting.

 

Board Self-Evaluation

The Board had received self-evaluation templates received from NYSSBA in their packets.  Mr. Mummenthey asked the Board to continue reviewing them and he will contact other school districts to see what they use.  This will be finalized at April’s board meeting.

 

Tenure Recommendation Previews (Executive Session)

 

Terms of Employment for Non-Unit Staff (Executive Session)

 

Board Discussion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At 8:47 p.m., Greg Starheim made a motion seconded by Terry Hait to go into Executive Session to discuss tenure previews, terms of employment for non-unit staff, 1 legal issue, and 1 legal/contractual issue.                                                                Motion Carried 4-0

Executive Session

 

 

At 10:00 p.m., Greg Starheim made a motion seconded by Terry Hait to come out of Executive Session and into regular session.                            

                                                                         Motion Carried 4-0

Out of Executive

 

 

At 10:02 p.m., Michael Jonker made a motion seconded by Terry Hait to adjourn the meeting.                            Motion Carried 4-0

Adjourn

 

 

 

 

 

Dulcie Fowler, District Clerk

 

Date Approved

 

These minutes are considered a draft until approved by the Board of Education.