Polkowski elected Akron Central School Board president

Akron Central School Board of Education members held their organizational meeting for 2023-2024 school year on Wednesday, July 5.  New Board members Joe Cena and Stephanie Coffta, elected during the annual meeting in May were sworn in, and the board held an election of officers.

Erik Polkowski was elected as President and Philip Kenline was elected Vice-President.

District Clerk Roxanne Rebmann served as temporary chairman until election of the President was completed and administered the oaths of office.

Board Officers

Susan Brewer was appointed District Treasurer.

Serving another year as District Clerk is Roxanne Rebmann. Susan Brewer will serve as Deputy District Clerk and Purchasing Agent and Donna Ciurzynski as Central Treasurer.  The Town of Newstead will serve as Tax Collector for the school district, Samantha Dunn 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 2023-2024 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; School Attorney – Lippis Mathias, LLC, Bond Attorney – Jeffrey Stone of Hodgson, Russ, LLP.

Attendance Officer – Superintendent of Schools; Independent Auditor – Lumsden & McCormick, LLP; Internal Auditor – Allied Financial; Financial Advisors – Municipal Solutions, Insurance Consultant – NYSIR; School Physicians – Health Works, Independent Physicians Dr. Rajendra Singh and Dr. Eric Wiederman.

AHERA Designee – Director of Buildings and Grounds; Title IX Stephen Dimitroff, Caroline Kos, Section 504/ADA Compliance Officers Allyson Knapp, Timothy Dunham, Emily O’Connor; Civil Rights Compliance Officers, Timothy Dunham and Paul Kowalski; DASA Coordinators Heather Mann, Tracy Martin, Susan Myers, Liaison for Homeless Children and Youth –  Director of Special Education; Foster Care Liaison Director of Special Education; Chemical Hygiene Officer – Director of Buildings and Grounds.

Wellness Coordinator Kevin Wartinger; District Chaperones – All district appointed employees; Lead Evaluators Joseph Caprio III, Stephen Dimitroff, Timothy Dunham, Todd Esposito, Mary Fial, Andrea Kersten, Caroline Kos, Paul Kowalski.

Chief Faculty Advisor Joseph Caprio II, Stephen Dimitroff, Educational Agency Data Protection Officer Director of Technology.

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 2023-2024 fiscal year.

Superintendent of Schools was named Designated Educational Official (DEO), Director of Buildings and Grounds School Pesticide Representative, Kathleen Rybarczyk as Reviewing Official (Child Nutrition Program), Kathleen Rubarczyk Verification Official (Child Nutrition Program), School Business Administrator Hearing Official (Child Nutrition Program); Residency Determination Director of Educational Service.

Representatives

Board of Education members elected the following to represent them in the noted organizations; Stephanie Coffta as representative in Erie County Association of School Board Delegate Assembly with Joe Cena as alternate; Kristy Pingitore on Erie County Association of School Boards Legislative Committee with alternate Erik Polkowski, and Phillip Kenline on Erie County Association of School Board Budget and Finance Team with Ryan Allen as Alternate.

Stephanie Coffta was appointed Native American Liaison with Ryan Allen alternate, Ryan Allen was appointed to the Strategic Planning Committee with Kristi Pingitore as alternate, Heather Cayea on Youth Recreation Commission with Joe Cena as alternate; Kristy Pingitore as 2023 Capital Project Liaison and Erik Polkowski as alternate.

Authorizations

The Board of Education designated the following for the 2023-2024 school year.

School Business Administrator and 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)

Superintendent of Schools or School Business Administrator, to authorize entering into contracts and purchase agreements with outside vendors consistent with the District’s administrative regulations and budgetary limits.

Superintendent of Schools or their 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: District Treasurer/$50.00 Business Office, Director of Transportation/$50 – Transportation, Each building Principal $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.

Superintendent of Schools and 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.

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.

The Board created three preferred Substitute Teacher positions at a daily rate of $180.00 per day (based on a full teacher workday, from 8:00 to 3:23) for the 2023-2024 school year.  Preferred substitute teacher positions will be eligible to earn up to nine paid sick days at the daily rate of pay with one day earned as of the end of each month from September through May, and provided that unused days are forfeited at the conclusion of the school year.

Substitute Rates for 2023-2024 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:  $14.50/hour; Substitute Laborer: $14.50/hour; Substitute Custodian: $14.50/hour; Substitute Cafeteria:  $14.50/hour; Substitute Bus Driver: $20.00/hour; Substitute Mechanic: $17.00/hour; Substitute Nurse: $120.00/day (based on an eight (8) hour day); Substitue School Psychologist: $35.00/hour.

Bus driver and mileage rates for field trips and outside organizations for 2023-2024: Bus driver rate – $34.00 per hour, Mileage rate: $2.02.

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 2023-2024 school year:

Committee on Special Education: Timothy Dunham – Chairperson, Emily O’Conner – Chairperson, Allyson Knapp – Chairperson, Caroline Kos – Chairperson, Nicole LaMonte DeGolier – Parent Member, and Andrea King – Surrogate Parent.

Committee on Preschool Special Education: Timothy Dunham – Chairperson, Emily O’Conner – Chairperson, Allyson Knapp – Chairperson, Nicole LaMonte DeGolier – Parent Member, and Andrea King – Surrogate Parent.

A list of Preschool Special Education Programs (Providers) and Evaluators for the 2023-2024 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

2023-2024 School lunch prices increased over last year’s levels, and were set at $2.75 for High and Middle School lunch; $2.50 for Elementary School Lunch; $1.75 for High School Breakfast, $1.75 for Middle School Breakfast, and $1.50 for Elementary School breakfast.  Adult Lunch will be $5.25 plus tax and Adult Breakfast $3.00 plus tax.  After School Snack – ala cart prices.

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

Retention and Disposition Schedule for New York Local Government Records (LGS-1), issued pursuant to Article 57-A of the Arts and Cultural Affairs Law, and containing legal minimum retention periods for local government records, was adopted for use by all officers in legally disposing of valueless records listed.

In accordance with Article 57-A: (a) only those records will be disposed of that are described in Retention and Disposition Schedule for New York Local Government Records (LGS-1), after they have met the minimum retention periods described therein: (b) only those records will be disposed of that do not have sufficient administrative, fiscal, legal, or historical value to merit retention beyond established legal minimum periods.

Policies

All policies, regulations and procedures in effect in the Akron Central School District during the 2022-2023 school year were readopted for the 2023-2024 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.

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.