Board of Ed Holds Summer Meeting

The Farmingdale School District met in the Library Media Center for an organizational meeting last week.

Administrative Actions  

The first action of the meeting was the appointment of a temporary chairperson for the district. Unanimously the Board of Ed decided to appoint Shari Bardash-Eivers, who also serves as president of the Board of Ed, as the temporary chairperson.

The meeting also included appointment approvals of several vital positions within the school district and established meeting times and dates for the upcoming academic year.

The Board of Ed voted to meet on the following dates during the 2011-2012 school year: September 14, October 12, November 2, and December 7, January 11, February 1, March 7, April 3, May 2, and June 6.

The board also authorized petty cash funds, set bond amounts and regulated salaries for part-time employees. Refer to the agenda in the gallery above for a full list of actions.

Consent Agenda

Stephen Wilson, vice president of the Board of Ed, proposed to approve the Consent Agenda, “consisting of Items I (a)-(m), II (a)-(h) and III (a)-(e) approved as a whole with action recorded separately." The board approved this motion but also discussed some parts of the agenda separately.

School Zone

The board discussed a possible exemption for a student has been home schooled for a number of years, and now wishes to enter the Farmingdale District. Barbara Horsley, assistant superintendent, made a case for the exemption. “After speaking with both the principal and the vice principal, I think it would be in the child’s best interest to enter the school district," she said. The motion was opposed by the school board.

Nomination for the NYSSBA Area 11 Director

Susan Berkman was re-instated as the NYSSBA Area 11 Director, although some board members questioned what NYSSBA contributes to the district.

Approval of Memorandum of Agreement

The Board of Ed approved an agreement between the district and the Farmingdale Federation of Teachers dated June 21, 2011, for the term July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2014 and to authorize the president to sign the appropriate collective bargaining agreement.

Shari Bardash-Eivers explained the step increases in the contract for the next 3 years, citing an increase of 2.5 percent for the first and third years, while the second year will see no increase.

“It’s a difficult time for the district and state, it’s a difficult time for education in general,” she said, adding that the step increases are moderate.“I see it as Farmingdale teachers working as a team for the Farmingdale district.”