Capital improvement issues, sporting event security update at WV school board meeting

Capital project update

Assistant Superintendent for Business Tim Holmes provided an update on various repairs being done as part of WV’s $18.3 million capital improvements project.

At the high school, work on school restrooms, a $425,000 project, is 25% complete, Holmes said, slowed by material delays. Still, “We’re confident we’ll be done by June,” he said.

Of greater concern is that the roof is only 10% complete, because the contractor is using “unskilled labor,” Holmes said, aadding that the district “rejected a lot of the work,” as substandard quality. The project entails replacing 50,000 square feet of foam roofing, “which needs constant repair,” per the district website, with a rubber roof. Total cost of the roofing project: $1.5 million.

The district owes this contractor $1 million: Holmes said that he’s “not sure what’s going to happen with this contractor,” and that, while the current contractor has to “have every opportunity to finish,” WV is likely to re-bid the job with other contractors. “We’re at the mercy of the bidding process,” he said, adding that the current contractors seemed good initially.

Meanwhile, the administration is consulting district counsel to explore options.

The field irrigation well/pump project that should have begun last month is likely to begin December 15, and has a price tag of $150,000.

The chiller system will need to be drained, but not when classes are in session, Holmes said. He said he expects the system to be ready in the spring.

At Sanfordville Elementary, work on the roof is slated to begin in September 2023: the contractor has “a good reputation.” This project will cost $3 million.

Flag football is now available to WV girls

Athletic Director Gregory Sirico told the school board that Warwick girls who express an interest will now be able to play flag football, joining 12 other districts in Orange County who offer the sport. Flag football is the fastest growing sport in the U.S. Sirico said, adding that the New York Jets will offer $8,000 to participating school districts to support the sport.

Addressing safety concerns at sporting events

In light of October’s shooting outside Newburgh Free Academy, the WV district is maintaining its “pause” in participating in outdoor sports at NFA.

WV Schools Superintendent Dr. David Leach told the board, “We’re not going back next year for outdoor sports. I think we can find opponents for the next few years, while they iron things out.”

During back-and-forth with Sirico and the board regarding the availability of safe parking areas for visitors to the NFA campus, Leach said, “Right now, I don’t feel comfortable recommending Warwick people return to NFA for football. It’s not a criticism of the Newburgh Enlarged School District,” but reflects “the reality of gun and gang violence in Newburgh City. We appreciated the steps they’ve taken to make some improvements, but we want to keep our kids safe.”

In the meantime, Sirico said that he met with Newburgh’s athletic director and together they “walked through the new (safety) plan for indoor events.” Security measures will include: Varsity games to be held before JV; backpacks will not be allowed; visiting teams will be dropped off in front of the building, where everyone will be required to pass through metal detectors.

Economy, ‘unknowns’ as school budget planning season about to begin

Leach said he was “concerned” about New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s budget projections vis a vis state deficits, adding that Albany could use such shortfalls as a reason to “slow down” implementation of foundation aid. He added that he expects projections concerning revenue, expenses, and so on to come after the holidays.

Public comment

Although COVID-19 is no longer considered a pandemic, the virus – as well as fallout from responses to it – still persists.

Two district parents expressed their opposition to vaccine mandates and masking.

“I’m alarmed about (the possibility of) a COVID-19 vaccination mandate as a pre-condition” of entry to school,” said Adrienne Tveter. She referred to NY State Assembly Bill AB-08378, which “authorizes the commissioner of health to develop and supervise the execution of a program of immunization against COVID-19 for purposes of state aid to schools; requires immunization against COVID-19 for attendance at school,” per the New York State Senate website.

The bill is currently in committee.

If passed, she fears, it “will decimate the school system as we know it.”

Tveter is worried about being told what to do “without long-term studies;” about “the impact of 20, 30, 40 per cent of students being removed from school;” about programs forced to end (if enough parents withdraw their kids from school) and the presumed resulting impact on teachers. She believes this bill, if passed, will “create an emotional strain” on the community, and urged the board to contact Senator James Skoufis and Gov. Hochul.

Lauren Cimino, parent of three district children, including one with an Individualized Education Program, which lays out the special education instruction, supports, and services a student needs to thrive in school), said that her Special Needs child had difficulty getting services until middle school, “then Covid hit.” She added: “My child has anxiety and depression” as a result of the distance learning instituted when schools closed during the worst of the pandemic.

Her daughter has resumed getting services but not by her original team.

Cimino said she advocates choice--whether to vaccinate should be up to parents. However, she said, “If children are not going to school,” their education will “fall apart again:”

According to Leach, when he spoke with Skoufis, the senator indicated that he supports parents’ choice in this matter.

“The board may want to consider more formal communications” with elected officials, Leach said.

Board member Bill Fanos said that his counterparts in the Orange County School Boards Association discussed the issue of learning loss during the pandemic lockdowns, and that the “consensus among the school boards is that ‘We tried this (lockdowns and remote learning) and it didn’t work.’” He added that the BOE should discuss potential impacts to schools if mandates are implemented.

Next: January 5, 2023 – Regular meeting, 7 p.m., Dorothy C. Wilson Education Center