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Schools

Northport Schools Notebook: Consolidation, Administrator Salaries and More

A very vocal public session during the Feb. 28 Board of Education meeting ran the gamut of topics.

Have we formally responded to Elwood School District consolidation letter?

That was the question posed by members of the audience during the public session portion of the Board of Ed meeting Monday, Feb. 28, when East Northport resident Albert Prisco asked if the district had formally responded to the December letter from the

Prisco proceeded to chide board members for not taking a more proactive role. “I think we should explore this,” he said.

When Board Vice President Karen Wills suggested that Superintendent MaryLou McDermott reach out to Elwood Superintendent Peter Scordo, Prisco disagreed, saying that Board members should be the ones to express interest.

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Board President Stephen Waldenburg suggested that he work with McDermott to craft a letter to Elwood Board President Michael Kaszubski to determine interest from other districts.

When Dr Nina Dorata, a member of United Taxpayers of Northport-East Northport, questioned why the board hadn’t formally responded to the letter by now, McDermott responded that she had contacted Elwood Superintendent Peter Scordo by phone. “I did call Mr. Scordo. I don’t know that their community has made a commitment (regarding consolidation).”

Dorata agreed with Prisco that the response should come from the board.

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McDermott replied that she was directed by the board, adding, “We are fully aware of where our responsibilities lie.”

Prisco reiterated that the response should be board-to-board, and said that it was a conflict of interest for the superintendent to respond since, in a consolidation, one of the superintendent’s positions might be eliminated.

Pay Increase for Administrators?
Denise Summers-Mumm, a former board member and current member of UTN-EN, expressed disappointment that, as she understood it, administrators would be getting a 3.5% salary increase as well as a decrease in their health care contributions for 2011-12.

McDermott said she didn’t think Mumm’s numbers were accurate, and praised administrators not only for taking a salary freeze for the current year, but  for opening up their contract to public scrutiny. 

Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Terry Bouton said the employee share of health benefits was actually increasing. When Mumm asked for specific percentages, Bouton said that she sees all contracts, and that it was difficult for her to respond since she didn’t have the paperwork in question in front of her.

BOCES Update
UTN-EN member Fred Trudwig asked if any budget guidance had been given to Western Suffolk BOCES which conducts its budget vote and elections on April 28.

Trustee Donna McNaughton noted that the Northport-East Northport School District only votes on the administrative portion of the budget – and that in the past it has been the only district to not give its support.

Trustee Lori McCue said that she had attended a Western Suffolk BOCES breakfast recently and that the mood in the room was clearly “one of cost savings.”

Art and Technology Initiatives
Peter Falotico  gave an overview of the art department initiatives and successes, which include a number of awards at art competitions, as well as impressive AP scores in the 2010-11 school year. A copy of the presentation is attached to this article.

Falotico  has tried in the past to retire but stayed on as interim department head when the district was unable to find a replacement.  Board members thanked him for his many contributions, and Falotico returned the praise, saying, “There’s no community like this in New York State for art education.”

Robert McGrath gave a presentation on Technology Initiatives, which includes beginning the coordination and implementation of Project Lead the Way (PLTW) – a pre-engineering program – at the middle school level. He noted that in April, representatives of RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology) will visit and officially recognize Northport High School as a Project Lead the Way site. 

Future Meetings
The next regular Board of Education meeting will take place on Monday, March 7 at 7:30 PM in the William J. Brosnan school cafeteria.  The agenda will include recognition of the Science Student of the Month, Instructional Initiatives for Science, and a presentation by the Superintendent of the proposed 2011-2012 budget.

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