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Clay, New York · Monday, August 10, 2026· Aug 10, 2026
🎓 Board of Education (Phoenix)

Board of Education (Phoenix)

2025-11-01 · 1714 words

Typeset from the official record — motions and recorded votes are detected automatically. The official copy governs.

Contents · 10 sections
  1. APPROVAL OF BOARD OF EDUCATION MINUTES
  2. PHOENIX CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
  3. INSTRUCTIONAL RETIREMENT
  4. NAME POSITION BUILDING EFFECTIVE
  5. INSTRUCTIONAL RESIGNATION
  6. INSTRUCTIONAL PROBATIONARY CHANGE
  7. INSTRUCTIONAL SU E APPOINTM
  8. NON-INSTRUCTIONAL APPOINTMENT
  9. NON-INSTRUCTIONAL SUBSTITUTE APPOINTMENT
  10. VOLUNTEER COACHING APPOINTMENTS

APPROVAL OF BOARD OF EDUCATION MINUTES

December 1, 2025 MOTION:

It was moved by , seconded by ., that the Board of Education minutes from November 3, 2025 be approved as submitted.

Ayes Nays Abstentions

PHOENIX CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

District Office Conference Room

November 3, 2025 7:00 p.m.

President, Rob Southworth, called the regular BOE Meeting to Order at 7:00 p.m.

Jim Graham MEMBERS PRESENT Wayne Halstead

Cliff Pelton

Keith Renfrew

Earl Rudy

Jeffrey Slater

Aurora Rose - Student Board Member

Jim Brooker MEMBERS ABSENT Kate Kehn

Superintendent Chris Byrne OTHERS PRESENT Administrative Team

Rob Southworth, led the Pledge of Allegiance. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

None RECOGNITION OF VISITORS Superintendent Christopher Byrne shared there have been some busy weeks SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT for JCB athletes, on what he believes has been one of their most successful seasons. The Boys Varsity Soccer team ranked #1in their Division/ranked 7th in their conference. They had a season record with 12-wins - 5 losses; and 1 tie. They ended the season in sectional play on Friday, October 24th with a 5-0 loss to Skaneateles. The Girls Varsity Volleyball team was ranked #1 in their Division; ranked 7th in their Conference. The season record had 11 wins ~ 6 losses. They ended the season in sectional play but lost Thursday to Skaneateles. The Varsity Football team ranked 3rd in their Division and Conference; Seasonal Record 5 wins, 4 losses; played in the semifinal round last Wednesday vs Mexico CSD but lost 49-22 after a great season. Varsity Girls Soccer team Ranked 3rd in their Division; Ranked 8th in their Conference, their season record was 11 wins; 4 losses and 3 ties. They played last night in the Sectional Championship Game for the first time in school history...unfortunately, they lost 9-1 to a very strong Marcellus team. Mr. Byme gave a huge congratulations to all of the coaches and athletes for one of the best fall seasons ever for the athletic programs.

JCB Art teacher Christopher Barrett presented the Portfolio & Assessment PCSD INDIVIDUAL ARTS & Plan (IAAP). The IAAP is a 4+ 1 graduation pathway option in New York ASSESSMENT PATHWAY State for students to demonstrate proficiency in the arts through a portfolio of

creative work overtime, that meets the High School II Accomplished

Performance Indicators in the New York State Learning Standards for the

Arts, fulfilling graduation requirements. The Purpose is to provide an

alternative pathway for students who excel in the arts, preparing them for

future education and careers in creative fields.

Director of Data & Instructional Technology, Mike Foley, gave a NYSED NYSED ACCOUNTABILITY Accountability Update. He shared data for the NYS Accountability Restart UPDATE (Post-Closure/Remote Learning) - In 2015 - ESSA signed into Federal Law,

2016-2017 - NYSED developed original state ESSA Plan; 2017-2020 (March

2020) Implementation of original NYS ESSA Plan; 2022-2023 - NYS ESSA

Restart Phase (based on 2021-2022 SY results); 2023-2024 & 2024-2025 -

NYS ESSA Rebuild Phase; 2025+ - NYS ESSA Reimagine Phase (beginning based on 2024-2025 SY results). NYS Accountability Identification - Current Identification 24-25: Phoenix CSD - MAM TSI - Targeted Support and Improvement; EJD & JCB LSI - Local Support and Improvement. The current identification for 2025-2026 are TBA - they are anticipating 2025-2026 identifications in November or December 2025. Last year it was 11/21/24, The Data trends were shared from 2023-2024 to 2024-2025. ELA Results and Historical Comparison from 2018-2025. We have been designated as a TDI District because one of our schools is a TSI school. This designation is due to the 3.8 Math & ELA scores. Targeted support and Improvement. MAM has been designated as a TSI School due to the 3-8 Math and ELA scores over two school year periods of 2022-2023 and 2023-2024. The District has begun improving their processes. The School Improvement Grant Process has been completed and teams are now focused on advancing out students. Local Support & Improvement - EJD and JCB are identified as Local Support and Improvement Schools, previously known as Good Standing.

Director of Pupil Personnel Services Tim Ristau, gave an overview of the ACT WORKKEYS PROGRAM ACT WorkKeys program, a job skills assessment system that measures foundational and soft skills critical for workplace success. It is used by employers to select, hire, and train employees, and the assessments can lead to an ACT WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC), a nationally recognized credential for job seekers. WorkKeys focuses on job-related, practical skills like problem-solving and reading workplace documents. The assessment certifies core workplace skills, helping employers build a high-performance workforce and individuals demonstrate their career readiness. It measures a range of practical skills needed for jobs across different industries, such as reading workplace documents, applied math and locating information. Some assessments also measure personality traits, attitudes relevant to work, like teamwork and discipline. The National Core Readiness - individuals who pass the core assessments can earn this certification which is valued by many employers. It serves as a resume builder and a way to demonstrate foundational skills to potential employers. It can be used for hiring, promotion, and training decisions to identify candidates with the right skills. College benefits: American Council on Education (ACE) recommends college credits for earning NCRC. ACE credit recommendations by NCRC level, and Credits recommended between 1-6 depending on score achieved leading to NCRC.

It was moved by Jim Graham, seconded by Keith Renfrew, that the BOE APPROVAL OF BOARD OF Minutes from October 2, 2025 be approved as submitted. EDUCATION MINUTES

Motion Carried

7 Ayes 0 Nays 0 Abstentions

It was moved by Cliff Pelton, seconded by Jeffrey Slater, that based on the APPROVAL OF PERSONNEL

Superintendent’s recommendations the entire Personnel Appointments, Retirements and Resignations be accepted.

Motion Carried

7 Ayes 0 Nays _0 Abstentions

INSTRUCTIONAL RETIREMENT

NAME POSITION BUILDING EFFECTIVE

Jennifer Astfan Teaching Assistant EJD 6/30/2026

INSTRUCTIONAL RESIGNATION

NAME POSITION BUILDING | EFFECTIVE

Sarah Pirrello Social Worker MAM 1/4/2026

INSTRUCTIONAL PROBATIONARY CHANGE

NAME POSITION BUILDING EFFECTIVE

Courtney Pettit Teaching Assistant MAM 10/18/2025-10/17/2029

INSTRUCTIONAL SU E APPOINTM

NAME POSITION BUILDING SALARY | EFFECTIVE

Amory Francis | Sub. Teacher ALL $140/day | 12/15/2025 Sub. Teaching Assistant $120/day

NON-INSTRUCTIONAL APPOINTMENT

NAME POSITION BUILDING SALARY | EFFECTIVE/PROBATION Jordan Custodial O&M $25.16/h | 11/04/2025-5/03/2026 Kaulback-replacing | Worker r Megan Lovell Leslee Prior School Bus | Transportation | $18.58/h | 11/04/2025-5/03/2026 Aide r.

Carrie Dejohn School Bus_ | Transportation | $18.58/h | 11/04/2025-5/03/2026 Aide r.

Crystal Foster- Typist DO/Special Ed. | $33,324/ | 12/15/2025-3/15/2026 replacing Jean prorated | Pending fingerprint Smith to$19,71 | clearance

6.70

NON-INSTRUCTIONAL SUBSTITUTE APPOINTMENT

NAME POSITION BUILDING | SALARY EFFECTIVE

Christopher George Sub. Custodial Worker | ALL $15.50/hr. | 11/4/2025

Victoria Stoutenger Sub. Custodial Worker | ALL $15.50/hr. | 11/4/2025

Tana Oeinck-pending | Sub. Food Service ALL $15.50/hr. | 11/4/2025 fingerprint clearance Helper

VOLUNTEER COACHING APPOINTMENTS

NAME POSITION BUILDING | SALARY EFFECTIVE

Adam Brown Wrestling ALL Volunteer | Winter 2025 Austyn Hayes Wrestling ALL Volunteer | Winter 2025

Jacob lanno Girls Wrestling ALL Volunteer | Winter 2025

Bailey Sherbourne | Girls Wrestling ALL Volunteer | Winter 2025

Andrew Merrill Wrestling ALL Volunteer | Winter 2025

Holt Reed Wrestling ALL Volunteer | Winter 2025

Jack Hayner Track & Field ALL Volunteer | Spring 2026 It was moved by Earl Rudy, seconded by Wayne Halstead, that the RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE Recommendations from the Committee on Preschool Special Education and COMMITTEE ON SPECIAL Special Education be approved as submitted. EDUCATION

Motion Carried

7 Ayes 0 Nays 0 Abstentions

It was moved by Earl Rudy, seconded by Jim Graham, that the 2026-2027 APPROVAL OF 2026-2026 BUDGET Budget Development Calendar be approved as presented. DEVELOPMENT CALENDAR

Motion Carried

7 Ayes 0 Nays 0 Abstentions

It was moved by Earl Rudy, seconded by Kate Kehn, that the following APPROVAL OF BID AWARDS contracts are hereby awarded to the lowest responsible bidders for Phase I of PHASETI the 2024 Capital Project.

GC Rj Ortlieb Construction Co $389,400 HVAC DW & Crew $1,410,000 Electrical Dickow $692,000 Sitework Landmark Enterprise $1,657,000 Plumbing Burns Brothers $221,000 Fuel Island Paragon Environmental $538,000 Vendor Direct Awards:

Facilities Equip & Serv. $110,204 Toth Sports $254,200 Day Automation $40,617,69 Musco $187,378 Kelley Bros $401,785.55

All contract awards are contingent upon the contractor timely providing all required bonds and insurance certificates.

Motion Carried

6 Ayes 1Nays OAbstentions

(Earl Rudy) It was moved by Jeffrey Slater, seconded by Wayne Halstead, that the request AUTHORIZATION FOR REFUND for refund of school taxes be accepted as presented. OF SCHOOL TAXES

Motion Tabled

7 Ayes ONays 0 Abstentions

It was moved by Cliff Pelton, seconded by Jim Graham, that the disposal of DISPOSAL OF EQUIPMENT

the attached list of equipment be approved as presented.

Motion Carried

7 Ayes ONays 0 Abstentions

Board Member Wayne Halstead shared that the Oswego County School Board | BOARD MEMBER REPORTS FOR Association met last week. On Wednesday, December 3rd, there will be a DISCUSSION DASA Presentation by Roseann Bayne from CiTi BOCES. OCSBA is also

trying to lock down a time and location to host the annual meeting with Will

Barclay which will be announced once it is determined.

The topic of changing start times was put forth for a discussion at this BOARD CONCERNS FOR evening's BOE meeting. It was a topic that was brought up previously as some DISCUSSION neighboring districts were beginning to implement this change.. Some studies

have shown that it is beneficial for adolescents to start school later due to their

natura! sleep cycle which could result in better academic performance and

reduced absenteeism. The Board discussed the topic and a suggestion was

made by Mr. Byrne to send out a survey to families in the District to see what

the consensus would be. It was suggested to make a list of pros and cons and

Mr. Byrne thought that was a great place to start before we reach out to

community members. Mr. Bye will work on putting a list together for the

next meeting.

It was moved by Jim Graham, seconded by Wayne Halstead, to move into EXECUTIVE SESSION

Executive Session at 8:12 p.m.

Motion Carried

7 Ayes ONays 0 Abstentions

It was moved by Cliff Pelton, seconded by Jim Graham, to move out of open OPEN SESSION/ADJOURNMENT session and Adjourn the meeting at 9:21 p.m.

Motion Carried

7 Ayes __0 Nays _0 Abstentions

Respectfully Submitted,

Maureen Haney District Clerk