Minutes from the
October 23, 2007 BOE Meeting

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS:

• MCC's director of adult learning, William Sigismond, gave an overview of a new arrangement with the district, which is serving as the college's newest extension site for evening classes.
• The district's early-childhood literacy coordinator, Susan Miller, reported on the '07 Summer School program for students in grades 1-7.
• Lafayette Eaton was sworn in as a board member, for a term expiring June 30, 2008.
• PK-6 principal Harold Leve and 7-12 acting principal Jill Slavny gave their monthly presentations about recent and upcoming activities.

Mr. Leve

• welcomed Mr. Eaton and David Green, the district's new business administrator;
• showed several photos from
  • ER Rotary members presenting dictionaries to all the third-graders,
  • the PTA's Family Skate Night,
  • the pre-kindergartners posing for their school portraits,
  • members of the ER Fire Department and its Explorer Post teaching the elementary students about fire safety,
  • a Young Audiences program on dance,
  • ER Youth Spirit Day,
  • the Fourth-Grade Art Group adding some seasonal designs to the windows of the ER Wendy's,
  • various Red Ribbon events, and
  • Denise Alfieri's fourth-graders writing letters and packing up food and other necessities to send to U.S. Army Sgt. Jim Peterson (who has a son in the class) and his fellow soldiers in Iraq; and
• thanked the ER Rotary for donating $1,000 to the PK Parent Project.

Mrs. Slavny

• showed several photos from
  • the school's Rochester-Area College Fair,
  • this year's "Jar Wars" competition, sponsored by the Junior-High Student Council, which raised $826 for the Autism Speaks Foundation,
  • the seniors participating in various team-building activities and challenges at the YMCA's Camp Arrowhead,
  • various Spirit Week activities, and
  • '04 ERHS graduate Jason Mancuso of the U.S. Army meeting with the eighth-graders, who last year corresponded with him, and sent several boxes of food and other items, while he and his fellow soldiers served in Iraq;
• noted the American Sign Language students hosted their RAITN (long-distance, multi-site instruction) classmates from East and Manchester-Shortsville high schools for a day; and
• congratulated
  • Celtic Music Society, led by Mark Gowman, on being invited to participate in an Eastman School of Music outreach series, and
  • seniors Courtney B., Sean F., Aaron K., Anna L., and David W., and '07 graduates Cory C., Christa D., Jeffrey G., Daniel K., Zackary M., Emma M., Colin S., and Mark W. on being named College Board AP Scholars.

District superintendent Dr. Howard Maffucci

• also thanked the ER Rotary for their donation to the Parent Project; and
• discussed several topics being addressed by the Monroe County School Boards Association's legislative and labor-relations committees, including
• Monroe County's tax-intercept plan and the resulting lawsuit filed by the MCSBA, and
• the upcoming reauthorization of the federal No Child Left Behind act, deeming it "a failure in many ways," and again encouraging residents to contact their representatives about it.

BOARD MEMBERS' REPORTS and COMMENTS:

Student representative Courtney B.

• congratulated the girls' varsity tennis team on their Section V championship (ER's first tennis title in 21 years), and team members Claire R. and Marie R. on their Section V doubles title, noting ER also fielded the second-place doubles team;
• wished the varsity soccer team luck in their Sectional play;
• said she and her classmates greatly enjoyed the visit to Camp Arrowhead;
• noted ten juniors and seniors volunteered at the recent NYS Games for the Physically Challenged; and
• mentioned the National Honor Society continues to collect General Mills Box Tops for Education, noting the elementary school recently contributed almost 4,900 (worth about $490).

Board president Kim Jackson

• welcomed Mr. Green to the district and Mr. Eaton to the board;
• said she was impressed there were eight applications for the open board seat, and thanked the candidates for their interest;
• noted the MCSBA president would like to address the board at an upcoming meeting; and
• reported on several topics being discussed by the MCSBA's information-exchange committee, including the integration of technology into instruction and ways to get the community more involved in schools, noting ER is already doing many of the ideas mentioned.

Mr. Eaton thanked everyone for welcoming him, and said he's looking forward to serving on the board.

Tim Henry

• also welcomed Mr. Green and Mr. Eaton;
• commended Dr. Maffucci on his leadership in the county's tax-intercept issue, and encouraged him to have his opinions published; and
• thanked the taxpayers for approving the 'E.R. 2008' proposition the previous week, assuring them their money is spent wisely, especially in terms of providing outstanding instruction and safety.

Terry Brown-Steiner

• commended Courtney on her public-speaking skills;
• asked athletic director Mark Michele if wrestling is going to be offered this year; Mr. Michele replied the levels haven't been determined yet, noting there was a modified team last year, and coach Josh Lenhard is doing a great job of trying to re-build the program; and
• asked if the ER/Gananda collaborative football program, initiated several years ago, has been successful; he was assured it has been.

Board vice-president Sally Malone

• also welcomed Mr. Green and Mr. Eaton;
• congratulated the girls' tennis team on their Sectional title; and
• said residents, and board members, should speak out about the county's tax-intercept plan.

NEW BUSINESS:

The board

• approved the 2007-08 School Safety Plan (as required by NYS);
• accepted the 2007-08 Fire Safety Report (as required by NYS); and
• awarded contracts for mechanical and electrical work on the East Avenue buildings to the lowest responsible bidders.

UPCOMING MEETINGS: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 13 and Dec. 18

Meeting length: one hour, 30 minutes