WINDHAM-ASHLAND-JEWETT CENTRAL SCHOOL
Board of Education Minutes
November 8, 2007
Regular Meeting
A. J. Savasta, President
Members Present:
A. J. Savasta
William Haltermann
Jacqueline Maier
Teri Martin
Drew Shuster
John Wiktorko, Superintendent
Marge Curran, Treasurer
Members Absent:
Others Present:
John Gratto
Anne Rode
Mag Scarey
Michael Ryan
M/M Robert Pelham
Spiroula Sterling
Board President, A. J. Savasta, called the meeting to order at 7:12 p.m.
Mr. Savasta led those assembled in the Pledge of Allegiance.
RESOLVED, upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, the Minutes of the October 11, 2007 meeting were read and approved on motion by
Teri Martin and seconded by Jacqueline Maier.
Yes Savasta, Haltermann, Maier Martin and Shuster.
No 0 Motion Carried
RESOLVED, upon the recommendation of the Audit Finance Committee and the Superintendent, the Treasurer’s Report
for September 2007 was read and approved on motion by Teri Martin and seconded by Jacqueline Maier.
Yes Savasta, Haltermann, Maier Martin and Shuster.
No 0 Motion Carried
RESOLVED, upon the recommendation of the Audit Finance Committee and the Superintendent, the Board approves the
Bill Schedule for November 2007 as presented, on motion by William Haltermann and seconded by Teri Martin:
General Fund –Checks # 35475-35622 in the amount of $333,410.37
Cafeteria Fund – Check #160 in the amount of $25,685.92
Special Aid Fund – Checks # 2114-2116 in the amount of $2,720.95
Capital Fund – Checks # 1064-1081 in the amount of $1,695,399.72
Yes Savasta, Haltermann, Maier, Martin and Shuster.
No 0 Motion Carried
RESOLVED, upon the recommendation of the Audit Finance Committee and the Superintendent, the Superintendent’s
Transfers were approved on motion by William Haltermann and seconded by Jacqueline Maier
Yes Savasta, Haltermann, Maier and Shuster.
No 0 Motion Carried
RESOLVED, upon the recommendation of the Audit Finance Committee and the Superintendent, the Board approves
the Extra Curricular Activities Account for the month of July 2007 on motion by William Haltermann and seconded by Drew Shuster.
Yes Savasta, Haltermann, Maier, Martin and Shuster.
No 0 Motion Carried
RESOLVED, upon the recommendation of the Audit Finance Committee and the Superintendent, the Board approves the
Extra Curricular Activities Account for the month of August 2007 on motion by Jacqueline Maier and seconded by William Haltermann.
Yes Savasta, Haltermann, Maier, Martin and Shuster.
No 0 Motion Carried
RESOLVED, upon the recommendation of the Audit Finance Committee and the Superintendent, the Board approves the
Extra Curricular Activities Account for the month of September 2007 on motion by William Haltermann and seconded by Jacqueline Maier.
Yes Savasta, Haltermann, Maier, Martin and Shuster.
No 0 Motion Carried
There was no correspondence.
Spiroula Sterling from Ashland wanted to lodge a complaint regarding the recent PSAT test that was given at
Windham Mountain. Erica Regan from Windham stated her objections relating to the same matter.
John Watts, District Construction Manager, gave an update on the continuing construction of the Capital Project stating:
Supplies are already on site
Transformer installed to help with the electrical outages and the out-dated electrical system
Excellent contractors
Project is on time and on budget
25% of the project is complete
Library is ahead of schedule
Chuck Bastion, District Financial Advisor then gave the Board the financial updates on the Capital Project including:
Updates to current borrowing (Bond) and debt service.
A new serial bond will be bid on January 15, 2008.
The District applied for and will be receiving an Excel grant of $142,000.
The amount of the last bond will be approximately $2.9M.
The District has reduced the amount of borrowing by $1M due to the diligence of the District and the community’s
positive vote on the propositions before them in May 2006 easing the tax burden on the community.
An updated financing projection and timeline document was discussed.
RESOLVED, upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, the Board appoints the following individuals to the
extra curricular positions for the 2007-08 school year as presented on motion by Teri Martin and seconded by Jacqueline Maier:
Girls Modified Basketball Coach - Melissa Palumbo
National Junior Honor Society Advisor – Melissa Glennon
Freshman Class Advisor – Melissa Glennon
Boys Basketball Volunteer – Joe Pudlewski
Yes Savasta, Haltermann, Maier, Martin and Shuster.
No 0 Motion Carried
RESOLVED, upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, the Board approves adding Naomi Weiner to
the substitute teachers/tutors list for the 2007-08 school year on motion by Jacqueline Maier and seconded by Teri Martin.
Yes Savasta, Haltermann, Maier, Martin and Shuster.
No 0 Motion Carried
RESOLVED, upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, the Board approves adding Charylie Dines to
the substitute teachers/tutors list for the 2007-08 school year Teri Martin and seconded by Jacqueline Maier.
Yes Savasta, Haltermann, Maier, Martin and Shuster.
No 0 Motion Carried
RESOLVED, upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, the Board approves adding Meaghan McCloskey
to the substitute teachers/tutors list for the 2007-08 school year on motion by Drew Shuster and seconded by Teri Martin.
Yes Savasta, Haltermann, Maier, Martin and Shuster.
No 0 Motion Carried
RESOLVED, upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, the Board approves adding Tricia Landi to
the substitute teachers/tutors list for the 2007-08 school year on motion by William Haltermann and seconded by Jacqueline Maier.
Yes Savasta, Haltermann, Maier, Martin and Shuster.
No 0 Motion Carried
RESOLVED, upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, the Board approves adding John McCarthy
to the substitute teachers/tutors list for the 2007-08 school year on motion by Teri Martin and seconded by Jacqueline Maier.
Yes Savasta, Haltermann, Maier, Martin and Shuster.
No 0 Motion Carried
RESOLVED, upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, the Board approves adding Mark Wilson to
the substitute teachers/tutors list for the 2007-08 school year on motion by Jacqueline Maier and seconded by Teri Martin.
Yes Savasta, Haltermann, Maier, Martin and Shuster.
No 0 Motion Carried
RESOLVED, upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, the Board approves adding Mary Jane Kornbrek
to the substitute bus driver list for the 2007-08 school year on motion by William Haltermann and seconded by Jacqueline Maier.
Yes Savasta, Haltermann, Maier, Martin and Shuster.
No 0 Motion Carried
RESOLVED, upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, the Board accepts the resignation of Vickie Malegiannakis
as a Teacher’s Assistant effective November 9, 2007 on motion by Teri Martin and seconded by Jacqueline Maier.
Yes Savasta, Haltermann, Maier, Martin and Shuster.
No 0 Motion Carried
RESOLVED, upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, the Board approves adding Vickie Malegiannakis
to the substitute teacher’s assistant list for the 2007-08 school year on motion by Jacqueline Maier and seconded by Teri Martin.
Yes Savasta, Haltermann, Maier, Martin and Shuster.
No 0 Motion Carried
Resolved, upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, the Board accepts the resignation of Ann Evans as an aide/clerk/typist
effective November 8, 2007 on motion by Jacqueline Maier and seconded by Drew Shuster.
Yes Savasta, Haltermann, Maier, Martin and Shuster.
No 0 Motion Carried
Resolved, upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, the Board does hereby appoint Ann Evans as a Teacher’s
Assistant for a three year probationary period, effective November 9, 2007 and ending November 8, 2010 and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Ms. Evans will be paid on Step 4 of the salary schedule for a Teaching Assistant
as outlined in the current WAJ Support Staff Association Bargaining Agreement on motion by Teri Martin and seconded by Jacqueline Maier.
Yes Savasta, Haltermann, Maier, Martin and Shuster.
No 0 Motion Carried
Resolved, upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, that the Board appoints Kimberly Lonecke to the position
of Teaching Assistant on a temporary basis for the remainder of the 2007-08 school year beginning on November 12, 2007
and ending on June 30, 2008 and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Ms. Lonecke will be compensated at Step 1 of the
salary schedule for a Teaching Assistant as outlined in the current Support Staff Association Bargaining Agreement and
that this appointment is on an emergency basis pending a Clearance for Appointment from the Commissioner of Education
on motion by Jacqueline Maier and seconded by Teri Martin.
Yes Savasta, Haltermann, Maier, Martin and Shuster.
No 0 Motion Carried
Resolved, upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, that the Board appoints Heather Drum to the position of
Teacher’s Aide on a temporary basis for the remainder of the 2007-08 school year beginning on November 12, 2007
and ending on June 30, 2008 and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that she will be compensated at Step 1 of the salary
schedule for a Teachers Aide as outlined in the current WAJ Support Staff Association Bargaining Agreement and that
this appointment is on an emergency basis pending a Clearance for Appointment from the Commissioner of Education
on motion by Drew Shuster and seconded by Jacqueline Maier.
Yes Savasta, Haltermann, Maier, Martin and Shuster.
No 0 Motion Carried
RESOLVED, upon the recommendation of the Superintendent and the District Construction Manager, that the contract
for Communications Construction on the 2005 Capital Project is hereby awarded to Comalli Technology Systems, the
lowest responsible bidder, at a total price of $341,750.00 as presented under separate cover and IT IS FURTHER RESOLVED
that the President of the Board of Education is hereby authorized to execute such contract for the District on motion by Jacqueline Maier and seconded by Teri Martin.
Yes Savasta, Haltermann, Maier, Martin and Shuster.
No 0 Motion Carried
RESOLVED, upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, the Board approves the Change Order No. AA-1 from
Excel Insulation, Co., Inc. dated September 18, 2007 as presented under separate cover on motion by Drew Shuster and
seconded by Teri Martin. Mr. Wiktorko mentioned that this Change Order was saving the District $18,000+. He also
thanked the Construction Committee for their hard work.
Yes Savasta, Haltermann, Maier, Martin and Shuster.
No 0 Motion Carried
RESOLVED, upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, the Board accepts the donation from the WAJ PTSA in the
amount of $4,903.80 to be used for the New York Theater Trip for WAJ students as presented under separate cover on
motion by Teri Martin and seconded by Jacqueline Maier.
Yes Savasta, Haltermann, Maier, Martin and Shuster.
No 0 Motion Carried
RESOLVED, upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, the Board accepts the donation from the First Annual Meatball
Cook-Off-Roll Off sponsored by Windham Mountain and the Frankel Foundation in the amount of $3,271.00 on motion by
Drew Shuster and seconded by Teri Martin.
Yes Savasta, Haltermann, Maier, Martin and Shuster.
No 0 Motion Carried
RESOLVED, upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, the Board accepts the donation by Mr. Matt Lloyd of an Apple
G5 computer with a 20” flat panel monitor on motion by Drew Shuster and seconded by Jacqueline Maier.
Yes Savasta, Haltermann, Maier, Martin and Shuster.
No 0
Whereas, It is a plan of a number of public school districts in the Delaware-Chenango-Madison-Otsego BOCES Area in New York,
to bid jointly equipment, supplies and contract items, and WHEREAS, the Windham-Ashland-Jewett CSD is desirous of participating
with other districts in the Delaware-Chenango-Madison-Otsego BOCES Area in the joint bidding of the items mentioned above as
authorized by General Municipal Law, Section 119-o, and WHEREAS, the Windham-Ashland-Jewett CSD wishes to appoint a
committee made up of participating schools to assume the responsibility for drafting of specifications, advertising for bids, accepting
and opening bids, tabulating bids and providing the information to their Board of Education who will make the awards; therefore
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Education of the Windham-Ashland-Jewett CSD hereby appoints the Delaware-Chenango-Madison-Otsego
BOCES to represent it in all matters relating above, and designates the Evening Sun Newspaper as the legal publication for all Cooperative
Purchasing bid notifications and, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board of Education of the Windham-Ashland-Jewett CSD
authorizes the above committee to represent it in all matters leading up to the entering into a contract for the purchase of the above
mentioned items, and, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Board of Education of the Windham-Ashland-Jewett CSD agrees
to (1) abide by majority decisions of the participating districts on quality standards; (2) that it will award contracts based on information
provided from the bid; (3) and that after the award of the bid it will conduct all negotiations directly with the successful bidder(s).
Yes Savasta, Haltermann, Maier, Martin and Shuster.
No 0 Motion Carried
Resolved, upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, the Board approves the recommendation from the Committee on
Special Education, Committee on Pre-School Special Education and the Americans with Disability Act, Section 504 for
student #’s: 305, 390, 397, 495, 632, 641, 661, 1140, 1225 and 1230 on motion by Jacqueline Maier and seconded by Teri Martin.
Yes Savasta, Haltermann, Maier, Martin and Shuster.
No 0 Motion Carried
Anne Rode, Principal, gave the Board her monthly report that included:
Rating Rubric for the Student of the Month was explained
The Morning Program teachers congratulated on doing a great job
The Peer Buddy program under Ms. Baldner has doubled this year
Alex Porter and Caitlin Morrison were chosen as our school winners for the Wendy’s High School Heisman award by the
people at Wendy’s. It celebrates the achievement of the nation’s top high school seniors both in and out of the classroom.
Alex went on to compete on the State level but, unfortunately, was not chosen.
Winter sports practices began on Monday
Good turnout at the parent/athlete/coach meeting to review policies and procedures for sports
National Honor Society tutoring program was discussed
Details of the projected field trip to the theater and dinner in New York City were given
Dr. Gratto, Assistant Superintendent, gave his report:
Reported on the Academic Committee meeting that took place before the Board meeting
Teachers given an Item Map and a Trend Map tied to performance indicators to inform their instruction and time allocation
Addressed the PSAT issue
Elementary teachers will be piloting basal reading series
English and Social Studies teachers met to plan common standards for quality writing and feedback and shared the information with teachers in grades 3-6
Will produce an item analyses linked to performance indicators for State tests
NYS Social Studies test administered to 5th graders November 14 and 15. On November 19 an item analysis will be performed. Teachers are using the Scantron machine to do item analyses of tests
Teacher evaluations occurring on a regular basis
Elementary teachers were trained to administer a Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills that will help identify students in need of additional instruction to become good readers
Attendance was down in October 2007 when compared to October 2006
Mr. Wiktorko, Superintendent of Schools, gave his report:
An update regarding NY/Section/league cheerleading rules was given. Our cheerleaders are slated to attend boys at home and away games
WAJ is pushing the Delaware League to recognize snowboarding as a sport to include a league championship
WAJ was presented with the NYSPHSAA Good Sport Award for the 2006-07 school year recognizing excellence in sportsmanship by players, coaches and fans
A special meeting of the Board will be held on December 13 at 5:00 p.m. to discuss the District’s strategic goals
There were many powerful politicians at a recent meeting held at GCCC to present Peter Konrad with the Mental Health Award.
He mentioned WAJ when speaking of the progress being made in partnering with communities.
WAJ is planning to use Capital Region BOCES for GASB 45 compliance (actuarial)
There were no additions to the agenda.
Roger Leo, Hensonville, NY, asked that the School Policy Manual be placed back on the WAJ website (was down for repairs)
and provided the Board of Education advice regarding MRSA and cleaning computer keyboards.
Drew Shuster wanted to know if WAJ recycled materials and suggested that a good place to teach children about recycling would be
the cafeteria. He also wanted to know if there were any community service requirements attached to graduation, and if not, should there be?
RESOLVED, that the Board go into Executive Session at 9:14 p.m. for the purpose of discussing the employment history of 3 employees leading to the possible appointment of employment, promotion, demotion, discipline, suspension, dismissal or removal of these persons on motion by William Haltermann and seconded by Teri Martin.
Yes Savasta, Haltermann, Maier, Martin and Shuster.
No 0 Motion Carried
The items discussed during the Executive Session will be made public as appropriate at future meetings of the Board of Education.
The Board reconvened into regular session at 10:15 p.m. on motion by William Haltermann, seconded by Jacqueline Maier and carried by those present.
RESOLVED, upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, the Board authorizes an unpaid leave of absence for Ann Evans from
January 2, 2008 to January 11, 2008 as presented on motion by Drew Shuster and seconded by William Haltermann.
Yes Savasta, Haltermann, Maier, Martin and Shuster.
No 0 Motion Carried
RESOLVED, upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, the Board authorizes an unpaid leave of absence for SueEllen McCullar
from January 2, 2008 and January 4, 2008 as presented on motion by William Haltermann and seconded by Drew Shuster.
Yes Savasta, Haltermann, Maier, Martin and Shuster.
No 0 Motion Carried
With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 10:18 p.m. on motion by William Haltermann, seconded by Drew Shuster, and carried by those present.
Felicia Senigo, Clerk of the Board
John Wiktorko, Clerk Pro Tem