This meeting began with the board’s annual organization meeting, a series of business matters that all school boards must address at the very beginning of each fiscal/academic year. The academic calendar begins July 1, and ends on June 30 of the following year.
After an oath of office for recently elected trustees, I was elected President of the school board, and Derrick Claye was elected Vice President. Next a series of resolutions were approved, largely appointments as required under law (clerk, treasurer, claims auditor, etc.). The regular July session of the board began immediately upon completion of the organizational meeting.
BUILDING CIVIC CAPACITY
Claudia L. Edwards, Ph.D. addressed the board during the time for public comment to present her recently completed doctoral dissertation entitled, “Building Civic Capacity: A Strategy for Improving Public Education in Communities with High Concentrations of Minority Students.” The following is a quotations from the executive summary,
“This study is based on research conducted to explore the public and its role in shaping local education policy. Designed to build public support for public education in school districts with high concentrations of people of color, the scope of this research explores those challenges which impede the public in a Black-led community from galvanizing to address the educational needs of children attending their local public schools. Thoughts about building public support for public education are based on Clarence Stone’s theory for building civic capacity. Recognizing public engagement as a function of a healthy democracy, Stone’s model was used to explore the readiness on the part of citizens to collectively work to build a sustaining, powerful force, engaged in safeguarding quality education for all children. The study takes place in the City of Mount Vernon, a Black-led community located in the wealthy New York suburb of Westchester County.”
An executive summary and background about the researcher are downloadable.
PRE-K PRESENTATIONS
Assistant Superintendents Shelley Jallow and Tim Costello delivered presentations on the districts plans for the pre-kindergarten program in the coming year. Jallow the district’s head of curriculum and instruction spoke about program details while Costello, the district’s business manager, addressed questions about the program’s funding stream. Pre-k is a non-mandated program that the board of education elected to preserve, notwithstanding its having to adopt a contingency budget.
INTERSCHOLASTIC SPORTS
Mayor Clinton Young addressed the board to demonstrate his on-going commitment to work closely with the school district on identifying private contributors and other means to restore funding for interscholastic sports. This was the Mayor’s second appearance before the board on this topic in as many weeks. The sports program was eliminated after the proposed annual budget failed to receive public support in two elections. The Mayor’s initiative, SOS (Save our Sports), and the district’s own effort entitled TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves Miracles), involve a collective force of coaches, PTA people and community members. Targeted fundraising and other forms of outreach are being planned for the coming days and weeks. Questions about the district’s efforts should be directed to Deputy Superintendent Maureen Gonzalez.
TAB 80: APPOINTMENT OF A GRANTS WRITER/MANAGEMENT
Danielle Crossley was appointed the new grants writer for the district. Her salary is funded entirely through the grants budget, and not the general fund. The recommendation was approved.
Posted on July 7th, 2008 by Charlie
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