New Audit Committee Members, Reserve Fund Policy Discussed by Briarcliff Board of Ed

After at the reorganization meeting in Briarcliff Manor this week, trustees took action on several items before entering a work session. Personnel, contracts and finance were among the topics discussed during the work session.

During the reorganization meeting, committees were also established.

School District Audit Committee

The six-person audit committee was determine through a board vote.

Trustee Sal Maglietta nominated Trustee Jennifer Rosen for the position and Rosella Ranno for the additional board member to serve on the committee.

Trustee Eric Bashford nominated Board President Guy Rotondo to serve as chairperson and Jennifer Rosen as the additional board member.

All accepted the nominations but Ranno.

Maglietta and Rosen voted in favor as Rosen for chairperson, while the other three board members voted against her. Bashford, Rotondo and Ranno voted in favor of Rotondo for chairperson, Rosen and Maglietta against.

Therefore, Rotondo was named audit committee chairperson and Rosen was named the board member (all voted in favor of the only nominee).

Six community members applied for the three spots available for residents to sit on the committee.

All board members voted in favor of appointing Aaron Stern and Saurabh Rastogi. Kim Izzarelli was also voted onto the committee.

Professional Development Committee

Rosen nominated Maglietta to serve on the Professional (staff) Development Committee; Bashford nominated Ranno.

Rosen, Maglietta and Bashford voted in favor of Maglietta, while Ranno voted against him and Rotondo abstained.

Maglietta was appointed to the committee.

The chairperson, as well as the representatives from the schools, parents and administrators are not yet determined.

Kathy Batchelor serves as the Hudson River Teachers Center liaison to the committee.

Other Committees

• The School District Safety Team was approved with a mix of 21 administrators, BTA repreresentatives, custodian representatives, and community organization (police, fire, etc.) representatives.
• All members voted for Bashford to serve on the Facilities Committee.
• The board voted to table the vote for which trustee will serve on the Enabling Committee.

A summary of a few of the items on the work session agenda:

-Four athletic teams for 2011-12–varsity girls swimming, varsity boys swimming, gymnastics and ice hockey–will be merged with nearby schools.

-Assistant Superintendent for Business and Technology Stuart Mattey said the district doesn't currently have a policy in place for change orders (dealing with expenditures for facilities over the summer, for example). He stated he would obtain sample policies for the board to review.

-The board discussed criteria for choosing a student to serve as a non-voting member of the Board of Education. Superintendent Neal Miller said he would speak with Principal James Kaishian about the process of choosing a student.

-Bashford stated the New York State controller believes districts should formalize processes and funds for handling reserve funds, versus the ad hoc process currently utilized by Briarcliff Manor. He and Maglietta encouraged the board to consider a structured fund.

The next Board of Education meeting is Monday at 8 p.m. in the theater.