Memo

Between Music consultants, superintendent meetings, and grad class, I'm gonna get this memo done in the next two days…

NON AGENDA ITEMS:

1.0	Capital project is on track. I called Suzanne Spear's office last week on apportionment of aid and will double check in early October. Bid date has been moved to October 14 with a pre-bid meeting on September 30. A variance for asbestos work on the gym subfloor has been approved making it less expensive to remove the old mastic ( but still an abatement). Once we know who our GC is, we will be able to actually discuss schedule of work etc. Plan is to keep gym disruption down until April or after. I'd like to move on the auditorium ASAP, though, so we could have graduation in the rehabbed space. We'll see.
2.0	RAITN is on hold. All of the equipment is installed and our kids are using the room with a videotape being shuttled back and forth to Honeoye Falls and East Rochester. Hang up was with the phone line. AT&T assumed it would be no big deal for the local company to run the last leg of the T-1 from 336 down. Wrong! T-burg has to construct something or other in order to complete the job. It's clearly not their fault - AT&T didn't contact them until the 13^th. The line was ordered in June and nobody from the big conglomerate became concerned until the week before we were supposed to go online. Shows you how much corporate America understands rural America… Kids and teachers are being patient and 1000% cooperative.
3.0	Distance Learning Grant Consortium still hasn't received its funds. Clyde Savannah dropped out and we're not sure whether to replace them or spend their money. This is moving much slower than anticipated. Key element here is some $30K for equipment and a nice consortium for staff development over the system. Maybe we'll see the money this spring…
4.0	Music consultant will be here in a matter of minutes to meet with me first, Barb and Mike next, and then the music teachers at 11:00. We'll see how that goes. I know it'll take at least one more visit on his part to have scouted us out well enough to make any recommendations. Attached is a copy of the proposal for consultant services from Ed Lisk FYI. I think it's the best $600 you'll spend this year!
5.0	Foundation Committee Kick-off event occurred last evening at Goose Watch Winery, compliments of the Petersen family. Though the turn out was slight, I believe the evening was successful. We have scheduled an initial board of trustees meeting for October 12, the Tuesday we're not meeting because the BOCES Board needs us to meet Wednesday. My sense is that there will emerge a dozen or more local community people willing to help make this Foundation a reality. ( My read also was that the locals did show up last night, whereas out-of-towners were more likely to miss),
6.0	School Boards Conference: At this point Cornelia, Norm and Anne have expressed interest in Saturday sessions. We will register the three of you and Leanne and I will plan to go up on Friday to be you for those sessions. That way five people can go to half the conference each. Make sense?
7.0	Hobart and William smith partnership progresses. Mike, Dave Hubman, Ray Fox and I will travel to the campus on Tuesday AM to meet with the folks from the colleges who put together their multi-media social norms campaign, as will teams from South Seneca, Waterloo and Seneca Falls. The goal here is to replicate the results they've achieved in reducing on-campus drinking with a high school population. If it works, our partnership will likely be the feature of some research publications. County-wide effort to reduce drug and alcohol consumption uses college proven approach… the headlines read.
8.0	Auditors are not quite done with extracurricular accounts and so we will not plan to have them present this time out. We will need to do that October 13, however, and be a tad later than what the State says we should be. They want you to receive and approve an independent audit by September 30. My thinking is that when they start to comply with their April 1 budget deadline, I'll start to worry about meeting their deadlines.

AGENDA ITEMS:

1.0	Discussion of Board member appointment is your chance to take an early exec if you need it, and to come out with an appointment tonight from the three letters attached. This is the most important thing you can do and do well - select who will get the upper hand at being the next member of this Board for at least the remainder of this year and the incumbency for a subsequent term. As you know - I will duck this one like a hot potato- whomever you choose will be my boss and I will not have it said that I had anything to do with hand-picking my Board. Please recognize the difficulty and the importance of your choice at hand, however.
2.0	Lots of conferences to send people to.
3.0	Creation of an additional Cleaner Position. I have asked terry to provide the attached as a means of supporting the addition of a position. Currently we have terry and Cliff Kaufman only available during the day. Last week I tried to use the radio to find one of them to no avail as one was out of the building getting supplies and one was out in the back forty keeping up with the lawn. Two people on days is not enough given the need for emergency planning and building security. To move someone from nights to help with the need when 600 kids and 100 adults are in the building does not allow us to get the cleaning done unless we replace that person. I am seeking your approval to create a cleaner position at $6.00 per hour and move Neal MacPherson or another person of terry's choosing onto the day shift. Current custodial department staffing is:

Terry Mays Head Custodian

Mike Barry Building Maintenance Mechanic

Cliff Kaufman and Neal MacPherson Custodians

Mary Lee Comstock Head of Housekeeping

Dora Snyder and Lela Covert Cleaners

We anticipated that there would be a need to expand one slot after we add the new room by the gym. This would have us do that a few months earlier than planned, but would also help us respond to the need we perceive to exist for help during the day. I support the idea and will find the money in the budget to enact it if you approve.

4.0	Policy approvals that have already had their thirty day trial should be pro forma, please.
5.0	Barb and Mike will report to you on the first few weeks of a busy school year.
6.0	We have some personnel shifts to account for in our usual high-turnover positions.

And that should do it. I heard Randy Bos bragging about how short the Board meetings are in Waterloo nowadays and I don't want you guys getting jealous…