I was unable to
attend a Board of Ed meeting during the semester and the one I had planned on
attending at my high school was cancelled due to COVID-19. I instead watched
the recording of the Westbury Board planning meeting that took place on January
16, 2020. The meeting started around the timestamp 12:31, but there was no
audio until 16:23. I believe that the meeting started with the pledge of
allegiance followed by a moment of silence.
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| (screenshot taken of the meeting) |
After formalities
were taken care of, their appeared to be a bit of confusion between the two men
leading the meeting about the first policy to be discussed. Initially, they
proposed resolution 5-i: the approval of transportation agreement to Carle
Place. They then took a second look at the agenda and corrected themselves.
They then proposed resolution 5-o regarding the approval of universal testing
and inspection. The resolution passed unanimously. The second resolution on the
agenda was 6-a: the resignation of Linda Macias. This resolution was also
passed unanimously. The final resolution on the meeting’s agenda was 7-f: The
approval of NJROTC going on a trip. The trip was unanimously approved. After
the 3 movements were passed, the appointment of an assistant business
administrator, Mr. Reed, was proposed. Board President, Robert Troiano Jr.,
talked a little bit about Mr. Reed’s accomplishments and credentials before
calling for a movement. After his appointment was unanimously decided, Mr. Reed
was asked to stay to observe the rest of the board meeting. After attending to
all of the items on the agenda, the board moved on to address any questions or
concerns regarding the agenda for the following meeting.
First, questions
were opened up to board members. First, Mr. Quintanilla asked about clarification
of the reinstating of the bowling teams. Due to a budget cut in the previous
year, not enough funds were available to support all extracurricular activities,
so the bowling team was disbanded. The vice president of the board explained
that this year the district had more funding, so they decided to re-establish
the bowling team and that in the next meeting, they would appoint coaches.
Later in the meeting, one of the community members expressed her gratitude for
this because she personally knew three girls who received scholarships based on
their bowling achievements. The next question for the following agenda came
from the man in the navy shirt. He asked for clarification regarding the
services of the Agape consulting (item 5-e). It was explained that they were
setting up a pilot debate program at Powell’s lane. Based on the success there,
they would like to expand it to all of the elementary schools. Specific details
were to be added to the following week’s agenda. Next, item 5-g was discussed. 5-g
was the acquisition and installation of new kitchen equipment from Elbe Kitchen
Company. The equipment would be for their current cafeterias for higher end
food production to keep up with their nutritional standards. One of the board
members then asked if the after-school programs covered in 5-h would be for all
of the elementary schools or just for Park Avenue and Westbury Middle School. The
program is being funded by a grant from Espoir, so it would only be implemented
in the aforementioned schools. Clarification was then asked for 5-d which was
the Harvard Student Agencies Incorporated. The board member wanted to know how
it would take place during the year, what content it would cover, and who was
eligible. The program brought students from Harvard to tutor high school
students in medical related classes on Saturdays and Sundays. A concern was brought
up about the parent workshops in 6-m as to why they only covered Powell and
Dryden Street schools. This was because those were the only two schools whose
programs needed approval this month. The last question from the board members
was why they were discussing 6-o now when it was about something from October
31st. It was explained that there was a misunderstanding due to them
waiting on information. After the board finished asking questions, the floor
was opened to community members with questions. First was Ms. Brown who, as
mentioned earlier, thanked the board for funding the bowling team once again.
Another audience member asked about TA’s. The president said that this would be
discussed in the next executive meeting.
Another community member asked about the partnership with LIU in L-5. It
was explained this partnership was just what they labelled taking in student
teachers from LIU. Another community member asked for an explanation about the
BARR model in 5-f. The model is recognized by the Department of Education that
provides support to students in social/emotional learning and career/college
readiness. The schools partner with BARR for training their staff and it will
be funded through a grant. There next question was about the building use form
on page 11 of the following week’s agenda. The community member wanted to know
if the event was a fundraiser and if it would be open to all students. They were
told that it is a free event and was being held at Drexyl for the sake of
convenience. A question that sparked laughter from the board was “Who is Lynn.”
The President laughed and said that he had introduced her as the new business
official twice already, but gave another introductory speech of her, speaking
very highly of the woman. Another community member had concerns about the upcoming
Census. She wanted to make sure that the schools would be open during the
census as a place to participate. Her example of why this is necessary is for
houses that may have 10 families living in them, only 1 hard copy is sent per
household, but they all deserve a chance to participate in the Census. She
wanted the schools to provide a place that these families could be free from
the fear of ICE. She also suggested a robo-call to ensure participation. The
president responded by calling an executive session to appoint personal, the motion
passed.
From watching the meeting,
it seems that these meeting are about more than just making rules for staff to
follow, but they cover a wide array of activities that take place in the
school. They are not just in relation to policies but cover everything in the
schools from extra-curriculars to equipment/supplies in the school. Board of Ed
meetings are called to make improvements/adjustments to the school district and
allow community members to see what happens “behind” the scenes.
