North Syracuse Board Hires Director of Pupil Personnel Services, Creates New $115,000 Security Post
The North Syracuse Board of Education hired a new Director of Pupil Personnel Services and created a $115,000-a-year Director of Security position on Jan. 12, after first hiring the consultant listed to present a recent special education audit as the department's interim leader earlier the same night.
●Hired Jennifer Stanton as Director of Pupil Personnel Services at $145,000 annually, with a probationary period of Feb. 17, 2026 through Feb. 16, 2029, replacing Julie Darmody-Latham, following a closed-door executive session on "one personnel item."
●Earlier in the same meeting, formally hired Rocco Nalli -- the consultant listed on the agenda to present results of the district's recent Special Education Audit -- as Interim Director of Pupil Personnel Services at $600 per day for actual days worked, effective Jan. 13, 2026.
●Created a new Director of Security position, hiring Kate Loveland Kehn at an annual salary of $115,000, effective Jan. 13, 2026.
●Filled two newly created Transportation Department positions: School Bus Driver Jason Davidson ($30.95 per hour) and School Bus Attendant Maria Hernandez ($23.37 per hour), both effective Dec. 16, 2025.
●Approved a SEQR resolution declaring the Board "Lead Agency" and finding a Type II action for the "Roxboro Road Middle School Acoustic Panel Installation Project" -- though the resolution's own text repeatedly refers to it as a "renovation of the greenhouse" and the "C-NS Greenhouse Renovation Project."
●Acknowledged final property tax reconciliation reports from the Cicero, Clay and Salina tax collectors and directed that uncollected taxes be forwarded to the Onondaga County Treasurer for reimbursement.
●Approved agreements with Soliant Health, LLC for related service provider services and with Access CNY for applied behavior analysis services, both effective Jan. 13, 2026; the minutes list no dollar amounts for either.
●Bids for an Auditorium Lighting & Accessories project were opened, showing BMI Supply at $127,154.41 and Sweetwater Sound at $9,553.67; the minutes record no vote or award decision following the opening.
●Approved gifts of $1,000 from Stewart's Shops for the GRMS Outdoor Recreation Project and a $200 Wegmans gift card for teacher refreshments, and acknowledged the retirement of Associate Principal Charles Yonko, effective June 30, 2026, with 19.10 years of service.
The North Syracuse Central School District Board of Education hired a new Director of Pupil Personnel Services and created a new $115,000-a-year Director of Security position at its Jan. 12 meeting, in a session that also saw the district formally hire, as the department's interim leader, the consultant who was listed to present results of a recent special education audit.
The personnel moves unfolded in stages over the course of the meeting. The agenda called for Special Education Consultant Rocco Nalli to present results of a Special Education Audit recently conducted; the minutes do not otherwise detail what was presented. Later, when the Board appointed committee co-chairs, it named Nalli -- already referred to in the minutes as "Interim Director of Pupil Personnel Services" -- as co-chairperson of the District Committee on Special Education for the 2025-2026 school year. Still later, under a personnel action, the Board formally hired Nalli to that interim post at $600 per day for actual days worked, effective Jan. 13, 2026.
The Board then moved into executive session "for the purpose of reviewing one personnel item with action to follow." Upon reconvening, it hired Jennifer Stanton as the district's Director of Pupil Personnel Services, replacing Julie Darmody-Latham. Stanton's appointment carries a probationary period from Feb. 17, 2026 to Feb. 16, 2029, at an annual salary of $145,000, effective Feb. 17, 2026.
Separately, the Board created a new Director of Security position at the Administrative Office Building, hiring Kate Loveland Kehn at an annual salary of $115,000, effective Jan. 13, 2026. Two other newly created Transportation Department jobs were filled the same night: Jason Davidson as a School Bus Driver at $30.95 an hour and Maria Hernandez as a School Bus Attendant at $23.37 an hour, both effective Dec. 16, 2025.
In other business, the Board approved a resolution declaring itself "Lead Agency" under the State Environmental Quality Review Act and finding a Type II action, requiring no further SEQRA review, for what the resolution is captioned as the "Roxboro Road Middle School Acoustic Panel Installation Project." The resolution's own text, however, repeatedly describes the project as a "renovation of the greenhouse" and refers to it as the "C-NS Greenhouse Renovation Project." The motion carried with eight yes votes.
As recommended by the district's external auditors, the Board acknowledged the tax collectors' final property tax reconciliation reports from the towns of Cicero, Clay and Salina and directed that the listing of uncollected taxes be forwarded to the Onondaga County Treasurer for reimbursement. The Board also approved an agreement with Soliant Health, LLC for related service provider services and an agreement with Access CNY for applied behavior analysis services, both effective Jan. 13, 2026; the minutes do not list dollar amounts for either agreement.
Bids for an Auditorium Lighting & Accessories project, opened Dec. 18, 2025, were reported from two vendors -- BMI Supply at $127,154.41 and Sweetwater Sound at $9,553.67 -- but the minutes record no vote or award decision following the bid opening.
The Board approved two gifts: $1,000 from Stewart's Shops for the GRMS Outdoor Recreation Project, and a $200 Wegmans gift card for teacher refreshments at Roxboro Road Middle School prior to the December break. It also acknowledged the retirement of Associate Principal Charles Yonko, effective June 30, 2026, with 19.10 years of service.
During public comment, Thomas Feeney, Jr. raised the idea of a possible physical education opt-out for varsity athletes; the minutes record no board response. Student Ex-Officio Brigid Gill reported that the Paige's Pajamarama fundraiser raised $10,388.70, and announced a Feb. 4 Festival of Nations, a Feb. 3 Hoops for Hope event benefiting Griffin's Guardians, and a Friday deadline for the Optimist Essay Competition for students in grades 8 through 12. The Board also recognized winners of a Dec. 8 district spelling bee held at the North Syracuse Central School District Office: Isaac Butterfield placed first, Rosa Heath placed second, and Keegan Mau and Paul Lucason tied for third.
This article was drafted by AI (claude-sonnet-agent) from the official meeting transcript and reviewed by a human editor.
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