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Schools

Board of Education Elects New President

Board members re-elected in May are also sworn in at meeting.

Sayville Board of Education members Deborah VanEssendelft and Thomas Cooley were sworn in at the Sayville Board of Education meeting held on July 7.

The board also elected Raymond Nelson as its president and John Verdone as vice president. Following their election, both were sworn in.

“I thank you for electing me and I thank you for your support as we move into yet another difficult year,” Nelson said.

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Meeting dates for the 2011-2012 school year were decided. The Board of Education will meet the second Thursday of each month at 8 p.m. for the business meeting, while the workshop meetings will take place on the first Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. Exceptions include the September business meeting (Sept. 15), November business meeting (Nov. 17) and December, where there is only a business meeting on Dec. 8.

The Board of Education will meet on Aug. 25 for a dinner and goal setting discussion. On Aug. 30, board members are invited to partake in a lunch meeting with the new staff.

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Dr. Gerry Suillivan Keck, deputy superintendent, presented the superintendent’s report to the board in Dr. Schartner’s absence (he was sworn in on July 1). The kindergarten registration is complete. There will be 218 new students making their way to the three elementary schools in September, a decreased of 10 children from the prior year. The secondary summer school has 35 students enrolled who are taking the Regents exam in August.

Not all the Regents exams are being offered this summer, Sullivan Keck noted, adding that NYS also cut out the January exams, making it more difficult for students who have difficulty passing the first time. Thirty-seven students are taking more than one course this summer. There are also 56 students enrolled in the special education summer program.

The special education department is attempting to bring back out of district students. The department is looking into designing and implementing appropriate programs in Sayville to meet the needs of students placed in outside programs.

“This involves extensive investigation and planning,” Keck said. “We are going to visit these children in their current school setting. When you look at a profile of a student on paper, it doesn’t give you a true picture. We want to see them in their environment so we can decide where each child belongs.”

There will be a committee with parent input as well. There are 12 to 15 students and they anticipate a minimum of five additional classes to accommodate them.

The district budget must be submitted to NYSED and the Comptroller’s office by March 1, 2012. With the new tax cap, there are still many rules and regulations that are unclear at this time, but the board is hopeful there will be a clearer interpretation of the tax cap requirements by August.

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