Summary/Reflection of Board of Ed Meeting

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.

(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 31^st. 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.