Huntington School Board Notes
Huntington School Board members took up a full agenda of personnel and business items at their meeting Monday night in the Jack Abrams Intermediate School auditorium.
Board of Education President Bill Dwyer discussed a recent tour of district facilities with fellow trustees and Superintendent John J. Finello gave an overview of the opening of the new school year. The district’s PTA organizations and officers were also introduced at the meeting.
Trustees discussed a range of other issues from technology and electronic communications (e-mail and e-boards) to procedures for responding to public commentary at meetings. Assistant Superintendent David H. Grackin presented a budget overview. Mr. Dwyer and School Board Vice-President Emily Rogan reported on a meeting they attended on Sept. 8 with Town Supervisor Frank P. Petrone.
Among the appointments approved by trustees were ones for Katerina Voutsinas and Denise Novello to serve as long-term substitute teachers. Ms. Voutsinas will work at Flower Hill School through Nov. 26 and Ms. Novello will work at Jefferson School through Nov. 14. Each of the teachers is covering classes for a permanent teacher on a short term leave of absence.
Trustees also took the following actions:
- Approved budget transfers from one account to another to cover costs associated with a new printer for the transportation department ($300), transportation for an after school literacy program ($88,000), social studies textbooks at Huntington High School ($2,000) and marching band supplies ($2,500).
- Awarded bids for cesspool, waste-line and sewer jet repair and maintenance and for fire alarm system inspection and repair.
- Awarded a request for proposal submitted by Fauser Associates in the amount of $1,925 to cover the cost of a land survey for a 1/3 acre parcel adjacent to Huntington High School.
- Accepted a bullet aide state grant secured by Senator Carl Marcellino in the amount of $60,000. The funds will be used to defray expenses associated with the alternative high school program.
- Approved a recommendation to dispose of numerous pieces of obsolete computer equipment.
- Accepted the resignations of teacher aides Kathileen Newkirk and Sean Drake.
- Approved a probationary appointment for bilingual high school science teacher Rosario Lorenzana, effective Oct. 6. The probationary period will run through Oct. 6, 2010 at which time she will be eligible for tenure.
- Approved various budget transfers as part of the process of closing out the financial books for the 2007/08 fiscal year and compiling the annual final expenditure report submitted to the state.
- Granted salary schedule changes for 32 teachers who completed advanced graduate level coursework.
- Approved adding Mary Cordeiro, Michael DePaula, Christine Draghi, Valerie Ferrandino, Heather Gebhardt, Lesley Gross, Jessica Kennaugh, Joanne Mulberg, Danielle Reminick, Gbenga Showunmi, Scott Leonardi, Katerina Voutsinas, Denise Novello, Ann Kupferman, Anne Kopstein and Jacklyn Zoll to the district’s substitute teacher list. They will each be paid $90 per diem when they are called on to work.
- Trustees approved changes in assignment for teacher aides Kristen DeVille, Cynthia Vitulli, Gina Tonno and Karen Haagerman and maintenance worker Anthony Berdat.
- Approved Tatiana DiPaola, Nicholas DiPaola, Lena Freed, Haley Garofalo, Justin Greenidge, Benjamin Jensen, Connor Leek, Samantha Mohr, Elizabeth Mohr and Brendan Gellerstein to work as student lab assistants through June 2009. They will be paid $7.15 per hour.
- Approved Joan Landskroner, Marge Holly and Kristen Warren to work as substitute clerical workers and Araceli Espinal and Gricelda Mejia as substitute food service workers.
- Approved Joan Landskroner, Kristen Warren and Doreathea Bailey to work as substitute teacher aides.
- Approved Heidi Magerle, Michael Gavilan, Brian Reynolds and Travis Smith to work as cafeteria supervisors at J. Taylor Finley Middle School on their free periods at a rate of pay of $28.73 per hour.
- Authorized Huntington High School teachers Kristen Haacke (AP Art), Gina-Marie Malvout (French 12H) and Brian Stellato (Music Theory I) to serve as independent study advisors at a stipend of $842 for the school year.
- Approved Kimberly Wright to serve as the cheerleading advisor at J. Taylor Finley Middle School this fall at a stipend of $1,055.
- Approved Keith Meyers and Allison Von Vange to serve as sixth grade Greenkill trip coordinators at stipends of $1,000 each.
- Approved Marcy Rhodes ($8,250), Camille DeCanio ($2,500) and Bernadette Walsh ($1,750) as Vatea grant advisors at varying stipends for the 2008/09 school year.
- Authorized physical education teacher Michael Marinello to provide AED training for up to six hours at a rate of pay of $47.07 per hour.
- Approved extra duty assignments for Akira Regan (Finley drama director), Deborah Kim (Finley asst. drama director), Mickey Baron (The Dispatch newspaper – printing), Julie Wright (Finley art club), Melanie DeMarco (Finley-7 Mathletes).
- Authorized Nancy Whelan to work as a long-term substitute clerical worker at Southdown Primary School from Sept. 16 through Dec. 15.
- Increased the part-time physical education teacher status of Stephon Sair to .9, effective Sept. 16.
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