Grant re-elected Akron Central School Board president
Akron Central School Board of Education members held their organizational meeting for 2021-2022 school year on Thursday, July 15. Following the swearing in of newly elected Board members Philip Kenline and Erik Polkowski, the board held an election of officers.
James Grant was elected as President and Erik Polkowski was elected Vice-President.
District Clerk Roxanne Rebmann served as temporary chairman until elections were completed and administered the oaths of office.
Board Officers
Susan Brewer was appointed District Treasurer and Cynthia Tretter as Deputy Treasurer.
Serving another year as District Clerk is Roxanne Rebmann. Susan Brewer will serve as Deputy District Clerk and Donna Ciurzynski as Central Treasurer. The Town of Newstead will serve as Tax Collector for the school district, Kerry Gates as Claims Auditor/ Faculty Auditor, Roxanne Rebmann as Records/Access Management Officer.
Board Appointments
The Board of Education appointed following individuals and/or firms to serve the Akron Central School District during the 2021-2022 school year; and to provide all services specified by law and past practice for the following positions: School Attorney – Hodgson, Russ; School Attorney – Greco Trapp, PLLC; School Attorney Harris Beach PLLC; Bond Attorney – Jeffrey Stone of Hodgson, Russ, LLP.
Attendance Officer – Patrick D. McCabe; Independent Auditor – Lumsden & McCormick, LLP; Internal Auditor – Allied Financial (Amato Fox); Financial Advisors – Municipal Solutions, Insurance Consultant – NYSIR; School Purchasing Agent – Cynthia Tretter; School Physicians – Health Works, Independent Physicians Dr. Rajendra Singh and Dr. Eric Wiederman.
AHERA Designee – James Andres; Title IX Stephen Dimitroff, Caroline Kos, Section 504/ADA Compliance Officers Danielle Behringer, Timothy Dunham, Emily O’Connor; Civil Rights Compliance Officers, Timothy Dunham and Andrea Kersten; DASA Coordinators Heather Everett-Mann, Tracy Martin, Susan Myers, Liaison for Homeless Children and Youth – Timothy Dunham; Foster Care Liaison Timothy Dunham; Chemical Hygiene Officer – James Andres.
Wellness Coordinator Barbara Goodman; District Chaperones – All district appointed employees; Lead Evaluators Joseph Caprio III, Stephen Dimitroff, Timothy Dunham, Todd Esposito, Cakroline Kos, Patrick McCabe.
Chief Faculty Advisor Joseph Caprio II, Stephen Dimitroff, Educational Agency Data Protection Officer Douglas Dailey.
Designations
The AKRON BUGLE was again designated Official newspaper for the Akron Central School District during the Board of Education’s reorganization meeting.
As official newspaper, the AKRON BUGLE carries all official notices regarding meetings, actions, and public hearings.
Coverage of Board meetings, activities and programs at ACS, and school sports is part of the mission of the Bugle to keep readers informed about everything in the Akron/Newstead area and is not tied to the “official” status.
BankonBuffalo, J.P. Morgan Chase Bank N.A., and M&T Bank were designated Official Bank Depository for the 2021-2022 fiscal year.
Patrick McCabe was named Designated Educational Official (DEO), James Andres School Pesticide Representative, Board of Education President Reviewing Official (Child Nutrition Program), Barbara Goodman Verification Official (Child Nutrition Program), Cynthia Tretter Hearing Official (Child Nutrition Program).
Representatives
Board of Education members elected the following to represent them in the noted organizations; James Grant as representative in Erie County Association of School Board Delegate Assembly with Philip Kenline as alternate; Erik Polkowski on Erie County Association of School Boards Legislative Committee with alternate Heather Cayea, and Phillip Kenline on Erie County Association of School Board Budget and Finance Team with Robert Masse as Alternate.
Deborah Forrestel was appointed Native American Liaison, Robert Masse was appointed to the Strategic Planning Committee, Deborah Forrestel on Youth Recreation Commission.
Authorizations
The Board of Education designated the following for the 2021-2022 school year.
Cynthia Tretter, School Business Administrator and Patrick D. McCabe, Superintendent of Schools, as the Payroll Certification Officers, authorizing them to certify payrolls of the Akron Central School District in conformance with Commissioner’s Regulations Section 170.2(b)
Patrick D. McCabe, Superintendent of Schools or Cynthia M. Tretter, School Business Administrator, to authorize entering into contracts and purchase agreements with outside vendors consistent with the District’s administrative regulations and budgetary limits.
Patrick D. McCabe, Superintendent of Schools or his designee, to approve staff attendance at conferences, conventions, workshops and other out-of-district activities.
Establishment of the following Petty Cash Funds in conformance with Section 170.4 of the Commissioner’s Regulations; said funds to be managed by the designated manager in conformance with standard acceptable accounting procedures of New York State Law, rules and regulations: Susan Brewer/$50.00 Business Office, Mark Alexander/$50 – Transportation, Each building office $50.00.
Signatures on Checks: Accounts Payable – District Treasurer; Payroll – District Treasurer; Activities Account – Activities Treasurer; Dual signature for any check over $5,000. Other authorized signers include District Clerk and School Business Administrator.
Patrick D. McCabe, Superintendent of Schools and Cynthia Tretter, School Business Administrator, to approve budget transfers as provided under Section 170.2 of the Commissioner’s Regulations to the limit permissible under New York State Law.
The Board adopted the coverage provided by Section 18 of the New York Public Officers Law for its employees as the term employee is defined in Section 18. This coverage supplements and is in addition to the coverage available to such employees by other enactments or from other sources. The Business Administrator shall take steps, if necessary, to obtain insurance against this potential liability to the district.
Patrick D. McCabe, Superintendent of Schools, was authorized to apply for any and all grants for the District, its students, employees, officers and agents, as well as all cooperative efforts with organizations and businesses, with the understanding that the final authorization of grants rest with the Board of Education.
Substitute Rates for 2021-2022 were established as follows: Substitute Teachers (based on a seven (6.5) hour day): Certified Rate: $19.23/per hour and Non-Certified Rate: $15.38/per hour; Short-Term Rate: $145 per day based on a full teacher work day; Short-term Substitute working in the capacity of a Teacher Assistant as $120.00 per day based on a full teacher assistant work day; Substitute Cleaners/Clerical/Teacher Aides/Bus Attendants/Monitors: $12.50/hour; Substitute Laborer: $12.50/hour; Substitute Custodian: $14.50/hour; Substitute Cafeteria: $12.50/hour; Substitute Bus Driver: $20.00/hour; Substitute Mechanic: $17.00/hour; Substitute Nurse: $95.00/day (based on an eight (8) hour day).
Bus driver and mileage rates for field trips and outside organizations for 2021-2022: Bus driver rate – $32.00 per hour, Mileage rate: $2.24.
Committees on Special Education
The Board of Education appointed the following persons to the Committee on Special Education and Committee on Preschool Special Education for the 2021-2022 school year:
Committee on Special Education: Timothy Dunham – Chairperson, Emily O’Conner – Chairperson, Danielle Behringer – Chairperson, Amanda Aquilina, Meghan Goldyn, Amy Koziej, and Nancy Meachum, Parent Members and Andrea King – Surrogate Parent.
Committee on Preschool Special Education: Timothy Dunham – Chairperson, Emily O’Conner – Chairperson, Danielle Behringer – Chairperson, Amanda Aquilina, Meghan Goldyn, Amy Koziej, and Nancy Meachum, Parent Members and Andrea King – Surrogate Parent.
A list of Preschool Special Education Programs (Providers) and Evaluators for the 2021-2021 school year were approved.
The rotational list of Impartial Hearing Officers (IHO) as maintained by the New York State Education Department (NYSED) on the Impartial Hearing Reporting System (IHRS) was approved. To expedite the approval process the Board of Education designated the Board of Education President, Vice President, or District Clerk to appoint the IHO on behalf of the Board.
Rates Set
2021-2022 School lunch prices stayed at last year’s levels, and were set at $2.35 for High and Middle School lunch; $2.10 for Elementary School Lunch; $1.30/$1.50 large for High School Breakfast, $1.30 for Middle School Breakfast, and $1.20 for Elementary School breakfast. Adult Lunch will be $3.75 plus tax plus milk, Adult Salad Bar Lunch $4.25 plus tax plus milk, and Adult Breakfast $1.50 plus tax and milk, Adult Milk $0.60 plus tax.
Use of School Facilities hourly rates for outside for profit organizations was set at $25.00 per hour for use of building during normally staffed hours and $50.00 per hour for use of building after normally staffed hours. $100.00/ athletic field for field preparation.
The Board of Education approved resolutions authorizing the President of the Board to issue and sell revenue anticipation notes in anticipation of the collection of the revenues to be received as State Aid and Tax anticipation notes in anticipation of the collection of Real Estate taxes levied or to be levied for the fiscal year.
District record retention
Records Retention and Disposition Schedule ED-1 (issued pursuant to Section 65-b of the Public Officers Law, and containing legal minimum retention periods for the records of elementary and secondary educational institutions) to be used by the Records Management Officer and all District employees for retention and disposing of school records was adopted. Only those records will be disposed of that are described in Records Retention and Disposition Schedule ED-1 after they have met the minimum retention period; and that do not have sufficient administrative, fiscal, legal or historical value to merit retention beyond established time periods.
Policies
All policies, regulations and procedures in effect in the Akron Central School District during the 2020-2021 school year were readopted for the 2021-2022 school year with the District policy revisions reviewed by the Board of Education and all personnel of the Akron Central School District are expected to immediately become familiar with and work in compliance with the Akron Central School District Board of Education administrative philosophy, Board of Education policies, Administrative Regulations, rules and procedures and in support of academic excellence and sound moral development in children.
A Table of Organization for the positions of certificated staff by tenure area, classified staff by position and hours, extra-curricular and interscholastic athletic positions, and interscholastic athletic support positions in the Akron Central School District was established for the 2021-2022 school year and the Superintendent of Schools was authorized to staff the District as provided in the Table of Organization; with staffing or employment of any person for any position by appointment by the Board of Education except for substitutes or emergency replacements as authorized by the Superintendent of Schools.
Akron Central School District will again participate in Cooperative Bidding through BOCES on behalf of participating districts to the greatest extent possible yielding savings to the district for the following items (but not limited to): custodial, cafeteria, office, classroom, transportation, and athletic supplies.