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Current Topics

October 26, 2006  Eastplain Addition Vote

The Referendum to construct an addition at Eastplain Elementary School passed . . . Yes: 901     No: 229

August 10, 2006   Agenda from the Plainedge Board of Education Public work session Meeting in the Central office conference room:

A.     Audit Committee (6:30 PM)

B.     Executive Session (7:30 PM)

C.     Set Tax Levy (8:15 PM)

D.     Public Work Session (Immediately Following Setting Tax Levy)

             1.  Committee Appointments:

                          - Legislative Representative

                          - Boces Liaison

                          - Board Policy Committee

                          - Library Meeting Representative

                          - R.E.F.I.T. Representative

                          - Wellness/Aids Advisory Committee

             2.  Center Island Lease Agreement

             3.  Eastplain Addition

             4.  Regents Results

             5.  Packard/Pickens - Fuel Depot Costs

             6.  Code of Ethics

             7.  Fundraising

             8.  Discussion on How to Approach this Year's Budget

             9.  Fifteen (15) Minute Line Item Discussion

10.  New York State School Boards Bylaw Amendments & Resolutions 2006

           11.  Fiscal Reports:

                         - Internal Audit Report

                         - Encumbrance Report

                         - Treasure's/Warrant Report

           12.  Special Education Office Increase

E.  New Business

           I.     Approval of Minutes (A)

                  Approval of Treasurer/Warrant Report

F.  Committee Reports

G.  Future Agenda Items

H. Other

The Audit Committee meeting took place prior to the public Work session.  The Audit committee meeting featured an appearance by community committee member Joe Caruso (Mr. Caruso did not attend the public work session afterwards), Dr. Tricia Rufo and Jill Fitcher of Coughlin Foundotos.

The meeting was highlighted by the Confirmation of Tax Levy for Nassau County. 

A discussion was held on moving ahead with the Eastplain expansion project utilizing state funds.  The project is estimated to cost 1.4 million dollars.  The BOE voted unanimously to move ahead with the project.  Other building project estimates included the Plainedge High School Locker rooms at $ 1.2 Million, Building soffits in three Elementary Schools $ 30K, replacement of Entry doors $ 70K, Build Supplemental Gym (amount N/A) and Truck Repair $ 120K. 

A discussion took place on the Packard Pickens deal.  The Superintendent reported to have had a meeting and about a half of a dozen phone calls with the Town of Oyster Bay regarding the deal. It was reported that phase one of the environmental study was completed and there are a couple of things that need to be resolved and that there were a couple of areas of concern.  It was reported that the town plans to acquire Packard and will knocking down the building to build a state of the Art headquarters for the town complete with additional athletic fields.  Both parties feel that the new building will enhance neighborhood as it will only take up about 1/3 of the foot print.  After the trade which will include cash back to the Plainedge District, the Town of Oyster Bay will rent Pickens while the new facility is being built.  The Superintendent is waiting for a clean bill of health regarding the petroleum tanks on the current Pickens sight and he is waiting for a layout of the park.  The superintendent is favoring this deal and is looking forward to presenting it to the community for a vote.  BOE Trustee Frank Presuto asked what would happen to the current programs being held at Packard including the wrestling room.  The Superintendent announced that we would have to find a new place for the "World Famous" wrestling room.

The meeting continued with a discussion involving a meeting with the P.T.A. leaders regarding fundraising.  The Superintendent acknowledged the leadership efforts of Laura Harrington.  The Superintendent explained that there is no intent to hurt the P.T.A. fundraising efforts; he noted that in some cases the events are fine and in some cases they need to be altered.  He also noted that it was a great meeting.

The 15 minute line item discussion proved to extremely helpful as the BOE tries to better understand the line items well before they are presented.  Dr. Patricia Rufo provided a thorough explanation as the superintendent kept a close eye on the clock and even at one time joked that the 15 minutes were almost up.  This presentation is a benefit to both the Board and interested community members.

The meeting ended with a statement (which seemed to be a prepared statement) from the BOE President regarding meetings held with the secretaries union and the lack of cooperation that the administration is experiencing with their representatives.  The statement seemed to be made to address questions in recent media coverage of the situation.  It was noted that there had been discussions with the secretaries union representatives.  In the community question and answer session, a community member asked the Superintendent what was the timeline for such discussions?  The Superintendant replied "I don't understand the question."  The question was then clarified asking if a meeting took place between the April 2006 BOE meeting until present.  (At the April 2006 BOE meeting a Secretary's Union member requested help from the Board in getting to the negotiation table)  The answer to that question was "yes" that they have met several times but the union has refused to negotiate fairly.  The answer that they did in deed meet was the exact opposite of a statement made in a Massapequa Post article mentioning that the union has yet to come to the table.  The underlying message to this situation remains unclear as conflicting information continues to be reported to the community.

July 15, 2006  Need a parade float?

The "Plainedge Pride" parade float is available to Plainedge organizations for parades, opening day festivities, homecomings, rallies or just about any gathering where a small stage is needed. Sponsors are also welcome. For more info, 516 795 8050 -T Judge

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July 11, 2006  Agenda from the Plainedge Board of Education Public work session and Reorganization Meeting in the Central office conference room

A.     Executive Session (7:30 PM)

B.     Reorganization Meeting (8:00 PM) - Board Room

C.     Public Work Session (8:15 PM)

             1.  Guidelines for Fundraising

             2.  Increase of Fees for Use of Facilities

             3.  School Lunch Prices

             4.  Packard/Pickens Update

             5.  Library TANS

             6.  Middle School Air Conditioning Project

             7.  EXCEL Construction Funds

             8.  Ongoing Budget Discussion

             9.  Red Cross Agreements

10.  Soccer Club Meeting & Addendum

           11.  Fiscal Reports

           12.  Boces Lease

D.     Approval of Minutes (A)

         Approval of Treasurer/Warrant Report (B)

The July 11, 2006 meeting was highlighted by the election of a new Board of Education President and Vice President followed by the swearing in of new Trustee Members and the Community representative for the Audit Committee. 

Newly elected Board of Education Trustees Alan Fox and Maryann Capone were sworn in.  Joseph Caruso was also sworn in as the community member of the Audit Committee.  Joe was chosen by the past Board utilizing an interview process and was highly recommended by former BOE President Richard Mallow who is no longer a member of the Board and the Superintendent.  Mr. Caruso attended his first BOE meeting since his appointment and he was sworn in.

Patricia Zinke was unanimously elected as the new Board President.  She was nominated by Maryann Capone and it was seconded by Frank Presuto with full support of the other members.   Kathy Flanagan received the Vice President nod with only one Board member not supporting the decision.   Ms. Zinke took her new seat next to the Superintendent and she thanked the Board for their support and said that it be a learning experience for her. 

Ms. Zinke got off to a great start as she ran a discussion filled meeting with a lot of enthusiasm.  The meeting had more of a community focus.  The new Board of Education already changed the feel of the room in one meeting and most of the community members in the room felt the same way.  Ms. Zinke handled her first meeting as President very well and she deserved a round of applause for her tremendous effort.    

The meeting continued with some Fundraising guidelines that led to a discussion of PTA Fundraisers.  The guidelines not discussed were the written guidelines for the purpose of the insurance vote from the last meeting.  The Superintendent explained that some of the PTA Fundraisers that take children out of the classroom or past the exit doors are not legal.  He also added that they place peer pressure on the students and their parents to spend more or the same as the next student.  Trustee Loretta Giardina stated that "our fundraising makes the PTA survive".  Other Board members discussed ways to continue the fundraising which involved take home sales with no prizes.  The Superintendent recommended asking Laura Harrington to get all of the PTA Presidents together to meet on the topic. 

The meeting continued with a discussion on raising fees for the use of school facilities by community clubs and organizations.  It was stated that the cost of custodial and security which was being subsidized by the school could no longer be and the outside organizations would have to pick up additional costs within their fees.  Other raises discussed were that of the lunch fees which would increase be .25 in all schools. 

The next discussion was an update on Packard/Pickens.  Dr. Richman explained that plans were leaning towards making the swap with the Town of Oyster Bay on the buildings along with an additional cash payment.  Dr. Richman said that the Town is leaning towards a demolition of Packard to build a smaller building with an additional ball field along with the Town NOT parking their vehicles on the site.  He mentioned the Plainedge school district would receive one to two million dollars in cash in the swap.  The District would also rent the Pickens facility back to the Town for two years while the new building is under construction.  He also mentioned that Pickens was environmentally inspected and only minor oil spills were found and they are waiting for a written report. 

At this point, the superintendent skipped to line 7 on the agenda and discussed the excell construction funds and the potential for State Aid on Capital Construction.  Two projects that the Superintendent would like to tackle are the expansion of EastPlain and a total renovation of the High school locker room.  Estimating that both projects would cost around 1.4 million dollars each, he is hoping that the State Aid on Capital Construction would help subsidize the costs.

Next on the agenda was a discussion involving the Library TANS.  Dr. Richman explained that former President Richard Mallow and Vice President now Trustee Loretta Giardina recently met with the Library Board regarding the TAN (Tax Anticipation Notes).  He explained that they left the meeting in agreement regarding the payment of the TAN interest and they were expecting everything to be OK but now the Library Board refuses to pay any cost associated with the TAN interest.  The Superintendent asked the board what course of action they would like to take on this situation stating "the question is do you want to be stubborn and unfair or take the high road?"    New BOE President Ms. Zinke again showed a great new Board attitude by stating that the situation with the Library needs to be a public discussion.  New Trustee, Ms. Capone stated "Can we work together as two Boards for the Children?"  She went on to mention that everything should be out in the open and that the community should be educated on the topic.

After discussing the existing Air Conditioning problem at the middle school, the ongoing Budget discussion took place.  Ms. Zinke requested that each month the Board should review a few lines from the budget to get a better understanding of how the numbers relate to each line.  She suggested that about 15 minutes should be set aside to continuously discuss the budget and she felt that it help ease the large budget discussions in March and April of next year.  Newly appointed Trustee Alan Fox agreed and stated that he feels that some of the line items are unclear to him and going over them would also help the community to better understand them.

Other topics that were discussed were the Red Cross Agreement for use of the schools for emergency operations and the donation of $ 27,000. from the Plainedge Soccer Club for the construction of bathrooms next to the soccer fields at East Plain ($15,000.) and Schwarting ($ 12,000.)

In another change from prior Board meetings, BOE President Zinke opened the community questions up to any question whether it be from the agenda or not.  There were two community questions of interest, one about the minutes from past meetings, when they are available on the school website and one to clear up an email situation surrounding members of the Board of Education.

Both questions received answers from the Superintendent which involved mentions of community websites.  The community member asked why community questions were not part of the minutes and that you only see references to them on community websites.  The superintendent replied "if you want stories then go to various websites this community has." The other question and website reference was about the email situation that surrounded the district and the Board.  The question was asked to put to rest a "RUMOR" regarding emails from a gentleman who often wears a suit to the meetings and frequently perpetuate the situation.  The community member mentioned that she feels that the Board has done a sufficient job dispelling these “RUMORS” and could Dr. Richman put these “RUMORS” to rest.  Dr. Richman replied "I'm not sure that it (the email “RUMOR”?) will die because there are segments of this community that loves to stir up controversy."  He mentioned community websites even calling these RUMORS Emailgate.  Immediately after that statement regarding the RUMOR, he then spoke of "Jim".  He said "there was a technician by the name of Jim, he was terminated months ago prior to this EMAIL DEBACLE  because of lack of performance, later when we DISCOVERED THIS EMAIL THING in a conversation amongst the Board; the only concern that this community should have is there was no (breach of you or your children’s communication).  The issue was discussed to the satisfaction of ALL the members sitting around this table and the truth is that’s really all that matters and that is the story." 

As The Superintendent did his absolute best to dismiss "THE RUMOR", the question is what RUMOR?  He himself called it an "EMAIL DEBACLE" so was the email situation a RUMOR or A DEBACLE?  Did it ever happen or was just a RUMOR perpetuated by a community website and a guy in a suit?  What ever it is, its still is Jim's fault but even with the Jim explanation, the Superintendent’s statement proved it's no rumor, it did happen and the community deserves better answers.  The Board of Education is satisfied with the explanation and the “RUMOR” or “DEBACLE” will end there.

de·ba·cle  n.

  1. A sudden, disastrous collapse, downfall, or defeat; a rout.
  2. A total, often ludicrous failure.
  3. The breaking up of ice in a river.
  4. A violent flood.

June 30, 2006  Perfect attendance award goes to Morgan De Sena!

Congratulations to Morgan De Sena - Plainedge High School Class of 2006 on her perfect attendance record in high school.  Morgan was the only student out of 286 in the class of 2006 to have perfect attendance during her high school career.

 

Morgan was an active member of the Plainedge High School Robotics team for all four years.  Due to her involvement with robotics she will become a mechanical engineering major this Fall at the prestigious Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey.

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June 21, 2006  Read a message from a Plainedge BOE Trustee regarding a recent email situation.

Click on the "Your Opinion" Page for the June 21st letter written by Frank Presuto.

June 15, 2006  Plainedge Board of Education Regular Business Meeting from Agenda No. 567

The June 15th Plainedge Board of Education Meeting featured a wrap up of the 2005/2006 School year, the evening was highlighted by a number of Plainedge School Employees recognized for their years of service and their retirement. Many received gifts and had the opportunity to say a few words about their time at Plainedge.  It was a great night to recognize these folks for a job well done.

One of the retirement announcements that stood out was the announcement that Superintendent Dr. John Richman would retire at the end of the 2007 school year.  His replacement was announced to be Assistant Superintendent Christine P'Simer.  Ms. P'Simer in an emotional acceptance speech, thanked Dr. Richman for being an influence on her and she mentioned that she will work hard this year to follow his lead and fill his shoes.

Also included in the retirement ceremony was recognition of outgoing board members.  Board President Richard Mallow first acknowledged former president Thomas Dick who resigned in October of 2005.  Mallow went on to compliment his friend and former running mate for all that he has done for Plainedge Schools and the community.  Mallow then went on to very briefly recognize longtime Trustee Ralph Raymond for his five years of service; Raymond lost a close election this year.

After that announcement the attention turned to Vice President Loretta Giardina, she read a prepared statement recognizing the two time Board of Education President Richard Mallow for his six years of service.  The long statement went on to thank Mallow and list the many accomplishments and the good things that Mallow has done for Plainedge Schools and the community.  The statement went on and got emotional for Giardina who mentioned with a tear in her eye that she would miss her friend.  The statement ended with a warm hug and kiss.  Mallow chose not to run for re-election this year.  At the end of the festive evening cake, cookies, and coffee was served for all in attendance.

The meeting featured 30 new business topics.  There was no opportunity for the community to ask questions due to the retirement ceremony tradition and the 30 topics were covered quickly.

Below is a list of some of the highlighted RESOLVED new business topics from the meeting:

5. Non-Aligned Personnel

It is the recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools that the following resolution be adopted:

RESOLVED, that the Plainedge Board of Education approve a salary increase effective July 1, 2006 for the following personnel:

Security Personnel, Teacher Aides, School Monitors, Occupational, Therapist, Joan Ripley, Patricia Rufo, Supervisor of Transportation, Physical Therapist, Christine P'Simer, Cynthia LaPier, Christine Miller, Diane Sheeran, and Catherine Kelley.

Note: Trustees Frank Presuto and Ralph Raymond abstained from this vote.

13. Reserves

It is the recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools that the following resolutions be adopted:

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education hereby approves the transfer of undesignated fund balance and/or budgetary appropriation from the 2005-2006 fiscal year, in an amount not to exceed $ 500,000. to the previously established Employee Benefit Accrued Liability Reserve Fund.

RESOLVED, in accordance with the provisions of section 6-n of the General Municipal Law, that the Board of Education hereby establishes an insurance Reserve Fund and approves the initial funding of said reserve by a transfer of undesignated fund balance and/or budgetary appropriation from the 2005-2006 fiscal year in an amount not to exceed $ 500,000.

RESOLVED, in accordance with the provisions of section 6-r of the General Municipal Law, that the Board of Education hereby establishes a Retirement contribution Reserve Fund and approves the initial funding of said reserve by a transfer of undesignated fund balance and/or budgetary appropriation from the 2005-2006 fiscal year in an amount not to exceed $ 500,000.

RESOLVED, in accordance with the provisions of section 6-m of the General Municipal Law, that the Board of Education hereby establishes an Unemployment Insurance Payment Reserve Fund and approves the initial funding of said reserve by a transfer of undesignated fund balance and/or budgetary appropriation from the 2005-2006 fiscal year in an amount not to exceed $ 500,000.

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education hereby approves the transfer of undesignated fund and/or budgetary appropriation from the 2005-2006 fiscal year in an amount not to exceed $ 500,000, to the previously established Workers Compensation Reserve Fund.

22. Establishment of Internal Audit Function

It is the recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools that the following resolution be adopted:

RESOLVED, that the Plainedge Board of Education herewith establishes an internal audit function, hereinafter called "internal auditor" as directed by section 170.12 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education.

23. Acceptance of Gifts

It is the recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools that the following resolutions be adopted:

RESOLVED, that the Plainedge Board of Education accept, with thanks from the John H. West PTA, a check in the amount of $ 20,801.97 for the construction of a new playground.

RESOLVED, that the Plainedge Board of Education accepts, with thanks financial donations to restore various programs cut from the 2005/2006 budget.

28. Resignation

By action of the Board of Education:

RESOLVED, that the Plainedge Board of Education accepts, with regret, the resignation, for purpose of retirement, of Dr. John A. Richman as Superintendent of Schools upon the close of business on June 30, 2007.

29. Appointment of Superintendent

It is the recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools that the following resolution be adopted:

RESOLVED, that the Plainedge Board of Education appoint Ms. Christine P'Simer as Superintendent of Schools effective July 1, 2007.

June 13, 2006  Agenda from the Plainedge Board of Education Public work session in the Central office conference room

A.  The Board will meet at 7:45 PM and it is anticipated that a motion will be made to immediately convene Executive Session to discuss a personnel matter.  No public business will be transacted.

 

B. Public Work Session (8:15 PM)

     1. Post Budget Analysis

                 a) Number of Voter's

                 b) Percent of Voter's

                 c) Programs Restored/Not Restored

     2. Resolution to create and/or Fund Reserves

     3. Fundraising

                 a) Middle School Sports

                 b) General Practices

     4. Student Activity Account Summary

     5. Audit Committee Update

     6. Wellness Policy

     7. Library "Tans" Meeting

     8. Revised BOE Calendars

     9. Fiscal Reports

 

C.  New Business

     1. Recertification of Budget Vote

         It is recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools that the following resolution be adopted:

         RESOLVED, that the Plainedge Board of Education recertifies the results of the May 16, 2006 budget vote and Board Member election attached as Appendix A.

 

D.  Committee Reports

 

E.   Review of Regular Business Agenda

 

F.   Future Agenda Items

 

G.  Other

 

H. Executive Session (if necessary)

The meeting was first highlighted by the location of the meeting itself.  The meeting was attended by many Plainedge Community members.  They were forced to either cram a seat inside of an overheated conference room or forced to sit in  the hallway outside of the room where you could not properly hear the meeting.  Chairs were set up in front of fire exit doors in the overcrowded conference room where the meeting took place.  Board members were asked, "off the record" at the end of the meeting, why the meeting was held in that room and why no board member asked for it to be moved to a more convenient safer location.

One of the topics of discussion was fundraising and how the community would need to purchase their own insurance to hold a fundraiser like a car wash.  The Superintendent stated "We have not followed good practice; before someone gets hurt or sued we should have rules and insist that everyone observes them."  Most community members were confused by this topic of conversation as it never came up during recent community car washes.  The Superintendent asked the BOE to vote to support this new policy.  Vice President, Loretta Giardina requested that the Superintendent provide the Board with written guidelines in order to support the decision.  The Superintendent claimed that he did not have guidelines prepared but he still insisted on a vote this evening and he would get the guidelines at a later date.  The Board voted 7-0 to support the Insurance issue even without proper and basic guidelines present.  Again "off the record", community members were left shaking their heads as the Board failed to hold the Administration accountable for the guidelines before voting and they asked why it was so important to get the vote that night.  Shouldn't the vote have waited for the proper guidelines?

Mrs. Ripley discussed the Wellness and Nutrition committee and discussed future options for better food choices for the community's children for the next coming year.  Mrs. Ripley was excited to be putting together this committee and explained that it would consist of members of the BOE, PTA, Police Officers and the Athletic Director.

Another issue that was discussed was the Library Tans.  The administration explained that they along with some Board members attended the last Plainedge Public Library Board meeting and decided to join the Library TAN and the school TAN together and suggested that the Library absorb the costs of the issuance of note.  It should be noted that the TAN budget line was heavily increased this year from the last budget. 

The meeting ended with an announcement that there would be questions taken on the agenda only and this evening no general questions would be taken.  The President of the Board Rich Mallow also announced that at the upcoming Thursday night meeting with the retirement ceremonies happening that there would be no questions at all from the community.  This left one community member in particular stating that it would be close to two months before the opinions of the community could be heard on some current issues that needed answers.

May 9, 2006  The Plainedge Educational Secretaries Speech read at the last Board of Education Meeting

We, the Plainedge Educational Secretaries, are asking you, the Board, to instruct your Administration to negotiate a fair and equitable contract with us now.

 

Two years is much too long for us to be without a contract while all other units have been given one.  For the last two years your Administration has refused to negotiate with us at all.  No legitimate, reasonable offer has ever been submitted to us.  We are experiencing retaliation, plain and simple, for filing a legitimate grievance.  Almost five years ago we won that grievance based on contract language that the Administration negotiated with us and was drafted by the school district attorney.  It was a grievance that should never have been challenged when we filed it.  Yet you chose to waste tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars appealing the decision and then not even showed up for the final court appearance.  We finally were forced to file a Demand for Judgment to receive our deserved compensation.

 

The last time we got a raise was in July of 2003.  Since then such things as taxes, heat, electric, and gasoline have gone up drastically but our salaries have not.  We need and deserve a raise like everyone else.  We are no different than our neighbors here in Plainedge.  We live in this district or nearby.   Parents here know us, we know your children, you rely on us as we demonstrate every day we care about your children and we continue to do it, even without a contract!   Please help us get a FAIR contract now!

 

We have been joined here tonight by our fellow CSEA members from across Long Island.  There are over 500 CSEA members living and voting in the Plainedge School District.  In the spirit of cooperation and because we care about the schools, we, as CSEA, can certainly encourage these families to vote for your budget.  Will you, the Board, in this spirit of cooperation restart negotiations now?  We are willing to talk to you today.  How about you!

 

Dr. Richman sent an e-mail out to us yesterday for Secretaries Day saying:  “We here in Plainedge appreciate the many contributions that our administrative professionals provide to us each and every day.  So to all of you – thank you for all that you do for us and the children of Plainedge.”  BUT, thanks come in the form of actions not just words!  Is punishing us, appreciation?

May 04, 2006

The High School Robotics Club advised by Mr. Gandolfo and Ms. Smith attended the FIRST National championship in Atlanta, Georgia. FIRST Robotics is an international competition where teams from all over the world create robots that compete against each other at regional and national events. This year's competition involves shooting a Poof ball into a goal raised 8 feet off of the ground.

The team was able to finish with a record of 5 wins and 2 losses, placing them in 24th out of 86 in their division. Here are some pictures and movies from the competition.

   

April 11, 2006      Adoption of Budget

Before the Budget vote was put to a roll call, Trustee Patricia Zinke read a prepared statement dispelling community rumors that she was challenging the voting process that took place last Wednesday night 4/5/06 during the Budget Vote.  Ms. Zinke made a clear statement that she supports the decision of the vote.

Roll Call was taken:  Richard Mallow - Yes, Loretta Giardina - Yes, Catherine Flanagan - Yes, Douglas Pascarella - Yes, Frank Presuto - Yes, Ralph Raymond - Yes, Patricia Zinke - Yes

The Budget was adopted 7-0 with a round of applause at $ 63,555.795 and 10.55% increase over last years budget.

April 11, 2006:      The Public Work Session Agenda:

  1. Audit Committee Membership & Charter 
  2. 2006/2007 Board of Education Calendar 
  3. BOCES Technology Agreement 
  4. Nassau County School Tax Reduction Campaign Update 
  5. School Report Card 
  6. BOCES Election Reminder 

After the prior week having three consecutive days of four hour meetings, this meeting was one of the quickest of the year.  After the Budget was adopted, the meeting began with the Audit Committee Membership & Charter.  It was agreed that one member of the community with an accounting background would be chosen to represent the community on the Audit Committee.  The Board's decision at this meeting changed from an earlier meeting in the year where a community member was not welcome to be a part of the committee.  Trustee Douglas Pascarella made a motion to request that not one but two community members be chosen.  No other Board member 2nd the motion.  Ms. Zinke recommended that they get started with one person and they would re-evaluate it.   A post will be made on www.plainedgeschool.org and interested community members should send their resume. 

 

The meeting continued with discussions on the Board of Education Calendar, the BOCES Technology agreement.  The Nassau County School Tax Reduction Campaign was discussed; Board President Richard Mallow congratulated the community on their efforts and requested that the community continue their effort.

 

The Boces Election Reminder discussed which Board Members would represent the Plainedge School District, how they would vote and which BOCES members they would support.  Mr. Pascarella offered his opinion on three members and the Board agreed to his choices. 

 

Before opening the meeting to the Question & Answer Period, Board President Richard Mallow announced that he will not be seeking a third term and he will not be running for his seat in the May 16, 2006 election.  Mr. Mallow explained that decision was made three years ago when he ran unopposed that this year and this term would be his last.  He thanked the Board and the Community for more than 5 1/2 years close to 6 years of being a part of the Plainedge School District which excelled.  Mr. Mallow received a well deserved round of applause from the capacity filled room as the community showed a sign of appreciation for his dedication and service to the Plainedge School district.

 

Editor's Note:  We congratulate Mr. Richard C. Mallow on his decision and for his service to the Plainedge Community for the last six years.  We thank him for his efforts and for the knowledge that he shared with the community. We salute Mr. Mallow with an extended round of applause.

 

During thre community question amswer session, Mr. John Hanranhan asked the community to support the this "fair and reasonable budget.  He pointed out that any Board Candidates should stay away from the anything negative about the Budget and he urged all to get other people to vote.

 

Editor's Note:  For Budget information, please click on the "School Budget" Page

April 3-5, 2006     The Plainedge School District  Budget Workshop & Community Discussion and the Budget took place with three days and hours of quality discussions.  A final budget was presented at a 10.55% increase over last year's austerity budget with many but not all programs being restored if the budget is passed on May 16, 2006.  The entire Board of Education worked hard and made difficult decisions during the three days of discussions.   

For additional inforation regarding the budget discussions, please click Click here for the School Budget Page.    

March 26, 2006     Read the NY Times Article about Plainedge Budget with interviews from community members from the Tuesday March 14th Public Work Session Meeting.  Click here for the School Budget Page.

March 16, 2006     Plainedge Board of Education Regular Business Meeting

Highlights of the meeting included a positive discussion about the success of video conferencing with classes from other schools across the country and the success of Jump Rope for Heart and the donations of $ 11,000. at Schwarting and $ 6000. at West.  Assemblyman Joseph Saladino secured the district a $ 5,000. grant. Community members were informed of a decision regarding the Tuesday/Thursday question and answer session.  The Tuesday will continue as planned but the Thursday meetings will no longer feature the "coffee hour" discussion format and will return to the structured on record formats of past meetings.

Editor's note: Read this site's closing comments from the February 16, 2006 meeting regarding the Thursday night session.

Before questions and answers took place, Superintendent Richman sternly addressed the community and the unfair perception that they have of the administration and the BOE.  The question and answer involved community members agreeing or disagreeing on program cuts to the Elementary Schools versus the Middle School and the High School.

March 14, 2006:      The Public Work Session Agenda:

  1. 2006 / 2007 Proposed Budget
  2. School Fiscal Accountability
  3. Budget Transfer Threshold For Superintendent
  4. Coffee Hours Review
  5. Community Dialogue Pilot Program Review
  6. Ingerman Smith 2006/07 Legal Fees
  7. Financial System Breakdown 
  8. Nassau County School Tax Reduction Campaign Update 
  9. School Report Card 
  10. Chaloupka 
  11. Discussion of Transportation Referendum 
  12. Encumberance Report 

Meeting Highlights:

 

In regards to restoring programs, Superintendent Richman said "It takes three years to bring everything back".  The new budget proposal was decreased by 1.7 Million dollars.  Dr. Richman used an analogy about a conveyor belt in building a car and he said, "Let me be clear, what we have done over the last seven years is build a top performer in the State.  He mentioned to the board that they have a tough decision this year and cautioned that if we go on Austerity this year there will be over $ 4 million in cuts.  Discussions were held about the cuts in the new budget draft including cuts to programs across the board. A discussion also took place on insurance and benefits.

 

Click here for the School Budget Page for the new Budget draft:  

 

Other discussions included Ingerman & Smith Law Firm that will represent Plainedge School District and they are the same firm that works with Roslyn.  There is a financial system breakdown with the computer program used to build the budget, Dr. Rufo requested a new program that will eventually save the district $ 7,000. in the second year and $ 28,000. dollars in the third year but will feature an initial expense of $ 9,000..  The board agreed unanimously to move to the new more user friendly program. It was also noted that two frivolous lawsuits brought on by two community members, resulted in legal expenses of  $ 5,500 and $ 500..

 

Editor's Note:  The statement above in red was stated as part of the meeting agenda.  The validity of the statement has been challenged by both community members.

 

March 13, 2006

Plainedge Public Schools Budgeting 101

The Budgeting 101 Coffee Hour at the Middle School was attended by approximately 40 community members plus Board of Education members, former BOE members, BOE Candidates, and the administration and staff.  Dr. Patricia Rufo delivered a 30 point presentation that was well organized and included a take home review sheet with questions and answers.  In a session that was promoted as a "no" question meeting, Dr. Rufo respectfully asked the community members if they needed clarification on certain issues and she did accept a few questions. 

Her presentation included topics such as School District Budgeting, Expenditures, Tax Levy , Review of Homeowner Statement of Taxes, Tax Rates & Uniform percentage, Assessments, Fund Balance and Contingency Budgets to name a few.  Dr. Rufo began the meeting by stating "I see great times, but I'm cautiously optimistic" and she questioned "How do we do more with less?"  She went on to discuss the external and internal factors about building a budget and she pointed out increases that are out of the budget's control.

The entire presentation went smoothly with the exception of the Fund Balance discussion.  Dr. Rufo was careful with her words but it seemed to be the one part of the presentation that had a sense of uneasiness.  At one point she corrected one of her statements regarding how the Fund Balance dollars can be used.  The Fund Balance remains as a topic that can not be overlooked and as a result of the evenings discussions it is one topic that the community should continue to be concerned about.

Dr. Rufo's presentation ended with her contact information should any community member have a question, concern, or needed clarification, they should contact Dr. Tricia Rufo by calling 516-992-7465 or emailing her at prufo@plainedgeschools.org. 

 March 08, 2006

The Packard/Pickens Community Coffee Hour

We did not have the opportunity to cover tonight's meeting but we did arrive at the very end had an opportunity to interview a few community members upon exit.  The quick synopsis was that they did not get all the information, in fact one person who lives across the street from Packard claimed that she will email the Superintendent with lots of questions in the morning.  She was informed that the town is not going to park their town trucks and vehicles at Packard.  Of the few people that we interviewed none thought it was a good idea to sell Packard and a majority of the people polled felt that we have much more important things to tackle at this time like the budget.  They did question the timing of this situation.

March 02, 2006

An emailed message from the Superintendent, Dr. Richman

Recently a nearby community went through a crisis with a number of its high school-age children.  The problem stemmed from a misunderstanding in which parents were under the false impression that a ski trip was school-sponsored and school-chaperoned.  This was not the case and the trip was in fact grossly under-supervised.  This led to issues during the trip including rampant alcohol and drug use, hospitalizations and student arrests. For your information we want to make it clear that Plainedge High School does not run or sponsor senior trips, ski trips, prom weekends or graduation trips.  Travel agencies enlist student organizers to sign as many friends as they can to go on trips and in return the student organizers go on these trips for free.  We do

not sponsor or chaperone such trips.

We hope this information is helpful to you.

February 28, 2006

We would appreciate if this could be placed on the Plainedge School website and Plaintalk.
 
Zorn's has teamed up with the John West PTA to help us reach our goal of purchasing a new playground. They are donating 10% of all purchases made between February 27th and April 28th. Just mention John West Playground to the cashier when you pay. It's that simple, so please visit any of Zorn's three locations and help out a great cause.

February 20, 2006

The John H. West Playground Fund Committee is currently raising the funds necessary to purchase and install a new playground at the school.  Attached are pictures of the current playground.  If anyone is interested in making a donation checks can be made out to the John H. West PTA and mailed to the school at 499 Boundary Ave.  Bethpage, NY 11714.  All questions can be directed to Denise Fischetti 495-4123 or Lauren Levrano 249-6152.

playground (02).jpgplayground (03)1.jpg

 

February 16, 2006:     Plainedge Board of Education Regular Business Meeting

Before the meeting started, many North Massapequa Fire Trucks pulled up in front of Plainedge High School to make the Fire Department's presence felt.  Inside, Board of Education President Richard Mallow began the night's meeting by graciously acknowledging and greeting the many uniformed firemen in the audience.  The firemen made the appearance in support of Chief of the Department, Richard Erickson who would later address the Board regarding their decision not to support the State's Firemen school tax exemption.    

Following along with the night's agenda, the meeting started with the Superintendent's Report.  The Board officially welcomed new Schwarting Principal Eric Nezowitz.  Principal Nezowitz spoke of his exciting first week at Schwarting and his enthusiasm for the job showed through his commentary.  Positive recognition went out for the successful Games Around The Globe program.  The good feeling continued as numerous Plainedge High School students in the capacity filled room were recognized for all types of scholastic achievements including the Intel awards.  The Students had a chance to speak about their achievements directly to the community. The room filled with constant applause for the students and the efforts and participation of the Plainedge faculty.  It was a proud experience for all for some very positive achievements.  The Board graciously acknowledged Intel Finalists Amanda Fiscina and Kim Vespo and their influential teachers with flowers.  The meeting continued with the announcement of tenure for faculty member Gerard Beekman.  Mr. Beekman was present and he received a nice round of applause.  It was also announced that Eastplain School won the top prize in the national competition Scholastic Book Fair, Kingdom of Reading Contest.  Community member Joe Pappalardo from Pappalardo’s Pizza Cove was present and he received praise for his involvement and generous donations to the program.

The next agenda item featured an opportunity for Board members to report on their last month's experiences.  Board member Patricia Zinke recognized the efforts of the PTRA for their community meeting regarding State Aid.  She also reported on the success of  The Women in Sports night which her family attended and enjoyed.

After that portion of the meeting, the Board opened up the question & answer period.  Mr. Mallow,  potentially sensing the presence of the firemen began by warning the audience that all questions should be about the agenda only.  After a few questions were asked about the agenda, Chief Erickson and a company member approached the microphone.  As Mr. Mallow started to turn them away stating that the questions should only be on the agenda, Board Member Ralph Raymond requested to address Mr. Mallow.  Mr. Raymond started by clearly stating that again due to his relationship with the fire department he is abstaining from any and all conversation regarding them.  He did continue to explain to Mr. Mallow that Chief Erickson did have a right to speak at this time because Mr. Mallow recognized the Fire Department at the start of the meeting.  This recognition automatically made them part of the agenda and it was the first of two mistakes that we would learn that Mr. Mallow made.  In a prepared statement supported by a large booklet of supporting information Chief  Erickson strongly delivered his presentation.  He explained to the Board that the eligible Firemen deserve their exemption.  He highlighted the number of Department members and compared the number to the amount of votes that led to last year’s failed school budget.  This situation set the tone for the rest of the evening. 

After approving the remainder of the agenda items, the Board moved down to audience level so Superintendent Richman and Mr. Mallow could take questions from the community.  On this night, the community questions took the offensive and went directly after Mr. Mallow for an explanation of the Fireman Tax exemption decision.  In an interesting moment, a nervous Mallow began by stating "I made a mistake" on the technical way that he handled the situation during past meetings.  He stated that when  no one seconded Frank Presuto's motion at the past meeting he felt that the issue could not be taken further.  He went on to admit that he made a mistake and he should have put up another motion for a formal vote.  In a very tough moment under a lot of pressure, Mr. Mallow impressively stood up to take full responsibility for the situation and he handled it with diplomacy.  When the questions on the topic kept coming, Dr. Richman begged to end the Firemen question situation.  Many comments did support the Firemen and Chief  Erickson.

Editor's Note:  Please Page down to review the December 13 and 15, 2005 meeting which highlights the Firemen exemption conversation.

The questions continued regarding the budget, the Packard / Pickens situation, and the upcoming budget vote.  The comments made by community members were strong and dominated one of the toughest question and answer sessions that both Dr. Richman and Mr. Mallow have seen in a while.   The presence of the Fire Department was felt by all and their situation seemed to take over the meeting.  Under the new question and answer format is was difficult to keep the attention of community members and Board Members as many side discussions took place as people left their seats.

 

February 14, 2006:      The Working Board Meeting Agenda:

  1. 2006 / 2007 Governor’s Proposed Budget
  2. Enrollment Issues and Staffing
  3. Plainedge Budget First Cut

 Community Question & Answer Session

 

  1. Packard/Picken Update
  2. Transportation Referendum
  3. Results of February 7th Update
  4. External Audit Report Response
  5. Construction Project Closeout Update
  6. Budget & Meeting Dates Revision
  7. John H. West Principal Search
  8. Nassau County School Tax Reduction Campaign Update
  9. BOCES Budget Vote & Board Nominations
  10. Fiscal Reports
  11. Reinstating the Plaintalk Newsletter
  12. Library TAN Discussion

 

1.   2006 / 2007 Governor’s Proposed Budget:

 

Dr. Richman discussed that an understanding of Governor Pataki’s budget would help us better understand our own budget procedure and the shortfalls that we must work with because of the State Budget.   He explained that the Governor’s budget proposal was one of the most disappointing in all of his years in office.   He discussed the effects of the lack of State Aid and the effects of Building Aid.  He discussed the disadvantages that our district has to try to “compete” for the Star Plus program cap and that we have no chance to win.  Within the discussion, Dr. Richman thanked community member Phil Toscano along with the PTRA for their efforts on the push for increased State Aid.  He mentioned his disappointment with the community regarding their involvement at Monday nights meeting, Dr. Richman stated “this community cries about its taxes and only 40 people come out, that’s very disheartening for all of us.”  In summary, the Governor’s budget does not keep us where we ought to be and offers our district only a 2.41% increase on State Aid which equates to $ 250,325.00.  Board member Patricia Zinke asked a question regarding the full day Kindergarten conversion and the dollars the district received being a one shot deal.  Cathy Flanagan asked about the chance of the State is passing the Budget on Time.