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Good evening everyone. Uh, welcome to
tonight's board meeting. If you would

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all please stand and join me in the
pledge.

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like to have a moment of silence for the
following individuals. Archie Green Jr.,

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a graduate of the North Syracuse Central
School District. Beverly Girth, a

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graduate of the North Syracuse Central
School District. Sharon May, a graduate

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of the North Syracuse Central School
District. Peter Beron, a graduate of the

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North Syracuse Central School District,
and Leonard Leonard Mowens, a retiree of

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the North Syracuse Central School
District.

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» Thank you.

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Um, I want to talk about one of these
people because it's really history in

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our in our school district again and
that's Leonard Mowens. Lenny Mowens says

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everybody knew him and called him coach.
Um, he coached at North Syracuse when it

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was North Syracuse High School, the
Northmen from 1967 to 78, 11 years. His

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record was 136 wins, 75 losses. He
coached his very first year, John, who

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later became a coach um for CNS. Um he
won the Anadog County Championship. We

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used to call it that long time before
you guys were born. Then they would have

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the city county championship and then um
the section three championship.

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Started his career in Liverpool but
ended it in North Syracuse. But if you

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read what he said, he was a lifelong
educator, a mentor, and a good friend to

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everybody. And I talked to a few
teachers because I wanted a little more

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information. So yes, he was the
basketball coach. And when we had North

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Syracuse in Cicero, we had doubled the
teams. So getting gym space was very,

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very difficult. But he always shared
gyms. Even though it was basketball, he

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would share with the track team, with
the volley team. you know, he didn't say

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somebody, "Oh, I'm sorry. I've got this
gym." Somebody that really, and I was a

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young person teaching in this building,
and I would go to the games, and you had

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to be at the junior high
school by 4:00 for a 7:00 game because

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guess who we played? We played
Danny Shayes for JD and Pete whole

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handfuler. There were great people that
we played from other schools. And Lenny,

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if you know anything about Georgetown
and the white towel, Lenny had a white

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towel and boy, it hit the floor a lot of
times, but he was a great guy and thank

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you for a moment of silence for him.
>> Can I just add something because I just

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I have a connection there because Go
ahead. I'm from a little, you know, I

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but I had the opportunity. He was my
coach at uh basketball. I I won't say

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what year, but it's in that span of 68
to 78 that you met. So, u I did get to

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know him and we had some
time that I won't drop their names, but

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one of them went on to be a football
player at SU little while and they took

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the number 44 out of retirement for him.
Trivia question. Do you know who that

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was?
>> Robinson. So, our job was to get a

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rebound and give it to Mandel.
[laughter]

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» Yes. He was football, but he played
basketball also. So, yeah, he was a he

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was a great guy. I got to know him
there. Yep.

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» Thank you, Bob.
>> Um, I have two uh proclamations that I'm

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going to read and then we'll hand out
some certificates for those that are

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here. First one we have is mainten
maintenance and operations appreciation

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week. The appearance of our buildings
and grounds has a significant impact on

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the environment for suitable learning
for our students, working conditions for

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district employees, and as a sense of
pride for our community. The maintenance

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and operations department employees
contribute to the school, family, and

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community by upholding professional work
standards, receiving timely training,

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and approaching all tasks in a strong
collective spirit of teamwork, which

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contributes to their overall work
effectiveness. They exhibit diligence,

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patience, and professionalism in
adjusting to new challenges and

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situations that occur in the school
buildings and grounds. To honor the

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maintenance and operations department
employees of the North Syracuse Central

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School District and their
accomplishments, I'm Michael Morizio,

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president of the Board of Education of
the North Syracuse Central School

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District. On behalf of the board,
express our deepest gratitude and hereby

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declare the week of September 14th, 2026
through September 18th, 2026 as

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maintenance and operations appreciation
week to be celebrated with appropriate

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educational activities. Do I have a
motion for that proclamation?

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and Mark. Any questions?

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Animous.
Next, we have our IT professionals

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appreciation day. The effective use of
technology has a significant impact on

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the learning environment for our
students, working conditions for

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district employees, and the ability of
our schools to effectively serve our

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community. The information technology
department employees contribute to the

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school family and community by
maintaining reliable and secure

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technology systems providing timely
support and training and approaching all

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tasks with a strong collective spirit of
teamwork which contributes to the

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overall effectiveness of our district.
They exhibit diligence, patience,

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professionalism, and adaptability in
responding to new technologies, cyber

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security challenges and in many
situations that occur throughout our

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schools. To honor the information
technology department employees of the

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North Syracuse Central School Districts
and their accomplishments, I'm Michael

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Morizio, president of the board of
education of the North Syracuse Central

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School District. On behalf of the board,
express our deepest gratitude and hereby

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declare September 15, 2026 as
information technology professionals

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appreciation day to be celebrated with
appropriate educational activities. Do I

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have a motion for that? Bob and Paul.
All those in favor? That's unanimous. Uh

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if we have anyone from M and it would
please come

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Again,

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thank you guys for all that you do.
Next, I'd like to invite Jason up for an

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AI update on what we're doing here in
our schools.

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Welcome, Jason.

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How's that? All right, here we go. Um,
before I get into AI, I want to

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reiterate how much our team does for
this district. Um, they make me look

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real good. Um, I tell them all that a
successful day is a day that they that

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we aren't thought of. Uh, which can be
kind of lonely sometimes. So, I do

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appreciate the board recognizing the
team and everything they do. They do a

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tremendous amount to keep this uh to
keep this place running. So, thank you.

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Um, all right. So,
humans, [sighs]

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we are a very inquisitive bunch, aren't
we? We're always looking for the next

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big thing. We're always inventing new
things, discovering new things. Uh, and

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when I started thinking about talking
about this, I kind of went back to, you

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know, when we discovered fire, I'm sure
the social webs at the time were saying,

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"That's hot. It can burn you. It can
destroy things." And other people were

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saying, "Yeah, but if you try to stake
over that or brought some of it into the

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cave on a cold night, like, you know,
fire can be good and it can be bad.

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Let's let's kind of learn how to use
it." Um, and then I, you know, kind of

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fast forward a little bit to cars. Very
dangerous. Probably the most dangerous

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thing I do on a daily basis. I got a
20-mi drive back to Marcellus after

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this. And it's probably the most
dangerous thing I do. We invented cars.

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It wasn't one person. It was a lot of
people. And probably at the time, people

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were saying, "Ah, those go real fast."
And they can be dangerous. And probably

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other people were saying, "Yeah, but it
saves a lot of time. You can get there

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faster and and do other things with your
time." So, you know, fire cars and now

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we got this thing called AI. Um, if you
paid attention to the news recently,

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there's a lot of conversations around
AI. Um, both good, both bad. Uh, last

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week I saw that they were saying, you
know, in in 10 years there's a 10%

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chance that it'll wipe all of us out.
That's pretty bleak. Um, I look at that

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same stat and say, "Yeah, but maybe
there's a 90% chance that it cures

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cancer or does something similar." Um,
so I don't really have any ability to

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control any of those things around how
fast we go, what we're looking at. You

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know, right now what I've seen with AI
in the world is that there's a group of

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people saying we need to slow down. And
personally, if we slow down right now,

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AI is pretty good for what I do. And I
could be entertained and do a lot of

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things pretty quick, you know, pretty
well. There's other people that say we

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have to speed up. And it kind of reminds
me of the Cold War where it's like, oh,

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we have to stay ahead of someone else.
If we don't stay ahead of them, then

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we're going to fall behind. So, you
know, again, that's all nuanced. What I

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can control and what I can work with
folks on here in this district in this

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moment is the assumption that AI is
here. It's here for as long as it's

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going to be here. And our children that
we have in our district are going to be

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living in a world with AI.
I didn't invent it. I can't get rid of

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it. All I can see that it's here and
it's something that we need to help our

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children understand to drive rather than
hide in a closet and pretend that it's

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not there. So, we've been working for
ever since AI became a thing a few years

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back. I worked with Chris Ley. We put
together a guiding document. I've worked

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with the policy committee. We put
together a board policy. So, we're doing

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all kinds of work around AI and it's to
the point now where I can't hold it

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back. I don't have an AI switch on my
dashboard anywhere. Every company,

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every, you know, every company out there
is embedding more and more AI into what

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we do. And it's not an easy flip of a
switch. It's become very like baked into

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everything that we do and everything
that we have. So, our my plan that I put

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together, so this is a website that I
put together to share with folks um

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around how we as North Syracuse and this
wasn't only me. I didn't do this in a

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vacuum. We have the steam team that
we've had conversations around how we

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work with AI. I've been to district
steering a number of times to talk about

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AI. So, this isn't Jason Clark just
putting this up there. This has been a

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lot of people involved in the
conversation. Switch hands here. Um, so

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our approach to AI is it's here. We have
students that need to understand how to

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use it because it's here to stay for
now. If it takes us all out in 10 years,

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I my crystal ball is cloudy on that. I
have no idea if that's the case or not.

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But I don't want to spend the next 10
years not teaching people for that

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inevitability or whatever happens. It,
you know, we need to be aware and and

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look at it and be proactive. So,
we need to prepare our kids for a world

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with AI, but we cannot forget about the
human piece to AI. We're all

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inquisitive. We all learn things. We all
learn how to do different things. So my

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big thing with AI is we should all keep
in mind the human side of this and make

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sure that we're addressing AI with and
so I I put this together.

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All right. So,
our focus with AI is um putting the

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human first and
I put together three commitments to

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guide the use of AI. One is human
thinking comes first. uh AI should be a

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thought partner and a collaborator not a
replacement for human thinking and and

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student thinking. We need to use it
responsibly. So protect follow

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assessment expectations and be very
transparent with your use of it. I am

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very unapologetic with when I use AI.
This website it was a collaboration with

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myself and chatbt. Um but we also the
third uh commitment we have to question

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everything. Uh, I don't know how many
videos I've seen recently where I'm

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like, "Well, that's AI. That's AI." And
to the point where I don't, it's gotten

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so good, I don't know what's AI and
what's not. It's basically whether it's

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funny or not or entertaining, I guess.
But we have to question everything,

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verify, and improve. um when we use AI
with students and in the classroom,

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we also the the group also developed a
kind of a a way teachers in the

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classroom can identify what assignments
are able to be done with AI. and we put

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together uh this graphic

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that is kind of a gradient of when and
when not to use AI. So red light, no AI

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at all, just the students working
together, thinking and coming up with an

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answer. And then it's a gradient because
you have some nuance between that and

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the green light. The green light, full
open AI, no problem. Go for it. Um just

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site your sources and and be transparent
about it. So this is something that the

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steam team, myself, other administrators
put together as kind of a a guiding

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preced, you know, guiding document
around how to use AI

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um in the classroom
as an approach to AI

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kind of a crawl, walk, run, drive
scenario where we are a our and I've

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said this before, our AI of choice in
this district is Gemini

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just because it's Edlaw [snorts] 2D
approved. None of the other AIS will

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sign off on the student privacy piece
around um AI like JBT won't do it.

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Claude won't do it. Gemini is our only
one that is approved for use with

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students and it fits nicely into our
Google Workspace uh area. Google has

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said we can turn on. So when I say AI,
I'm pretty much referring to just the

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Gemini chat box that where you type in
your questions to Gemini. I can turn

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that on at the kindergarten level if we
deemed that to be the case. I don't

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think that's necessarily the right call
um just yet or ever. Um we put together

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kind of a a guidance around how this
would be rolled out at each of the

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building levels. Uh so at the youngest
it's teacher driven teacher-led teacher

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experience with the students working
alongside them. In the the middle

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schools more of a structured approach
maybe using some more things like uh

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Google gems um Gemini notebook things
like that. The junior high a little bit

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more freedom and then the high school
eventually you know having access to the

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chat box and and interacting with them
with uh AI that way.

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Um I can I think yeah go ahead.
>> I want to go back to what you just said.

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So
access to the

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not what I think people like AI is in a
lot of things. When somebody says AI,

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I've had a hard time getting a
definition of what people think that is,

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but the best I've come up with is to
turn on AI is to allow access to the

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chat feature in Gemini.
>> That would occur in high school.

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» Other not on right now.
>> The other but it would that's where the

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plan
>> that's where we're headed.

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» The other ones I just wanted to make
sure I heard it clearly are teacherled

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experiences. I know it says that for K4
but Yep.

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» Five, seven, and eight, nine.
I know eventually go to the high school.

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» Yeah.
>> Um

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» guided.
>> Yes.

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» Not turned on for their access.
>> Well, there there's I there are little

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things that I can turn on in different
programs to give a little bit more

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access, but as of right now, we're
looking at just the like chat feature

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with Gemini at the high school level and
then various levels of accessibility um

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at the younger grades.
>> I'm sorry to interrupt. I don't want to

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have you roll back after I ask a
question.

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» Not a problem. Not a problem. So, like I
said, it's kind of a tiered approach uh

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where we're not going to flip a switch
and turn it on, turn everything on, but

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again, like I said, it's it's hard to
not turn not to have some bleed uh into

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this. Um AI is part of
um

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standards. The computer science and
digital fluency standards have an AI

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component and I just put those in here.
Those standards are funny. They're

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actually old um and came out before AI.
So there there is a piece there are

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pieces in there about how to use AI with
students. Um and I and I link them in

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here. And again, this site is something
that is going to be a resource for us.

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Probably one of the biggest uh things
with using it in our district is that

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our version of Gemini is different than
the Gmail version of Gemini. So right

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now our students are using AI 100%.
They're using AI. They're using it with

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their personal accounts unmonitored,
unfiltered.

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If we have students using our instance
of Gemini, it's built into our workplace

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environment and it's monitored and it's
treated differently. None of that

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information that our students use is
used to have the the model grow. And if

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students happen to be in there and ask
about violence or self harm or things

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like that, it will actually put the
brakes on that conversation and give

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them resources saying, you know, this
this isn't something that I want to

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engage with. Here are some resources.
Find an adult. Like there are definitely

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guard rails in place with our version of
Gemini compared to the Gmail.

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And basically, you know, again, it
doesn't have to be used in every

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assignment. So, that's kind of where we
are with AI. It's it's and I've I've

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never done this before. None of us have
ever done this before. Uh we're having

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conversations in a lot of different
places. Um but it's really what I what I

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will leave you with is I really want to
focus on keeping the human experience

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part of this and using the technology to
help learn and grow alongside

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uh that.
Well, that's kind of where we are with

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AI. Questions, thoughts?
>> Jason, can you just talk a minute about

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uh the offerings that we've provided uh
for people to be trained and things like

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that over the last maybe two, three
years and where we're with that?

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» Yep. So Danielle Barrett, our uh
instructional technology coach, over the

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past three summers, I've basically told
her to focus on doing AI training. And

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she has offered um numerous trainings uh
over the summer. Basically, she's put

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together, I think, four trainings each
summer and then given those trainings

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twice. So, eight trainings over the
course of the summer. and she's really

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focused a lot on how to use AI well with
students and how to actually teach with

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AI and put together some amazing uh
programming. I don't have the numbers

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right off the top of my head, but um
every one of her sessions are

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booked. They're, you know, weight list
full. And um it's they've been very

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popular summer trainings. I've sat in
and I've learned some things. um she

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does a she does a wonderful job at
putting those together. So, we have had

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a focus on that. Um and you know, she's
gone out and she she meets with teachers

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one-on-one. There's been a lot of uh a
lot of different people we've worked

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with that are interested and want to
start using it a little bit more and are

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eager to find out how best to do that.

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Yeah,
my ignorance is going to come out when I

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00:29:42,480 --> 00:29:49,360
ask these though. I've dabbled with
Gemini because I have

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um
so you can ask Gemini a question but

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then we have the notebook where he can
load in.

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» Yeah.
>> Is that what we're talking about using

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or are we talking about?
>> Yes. So So with Gemini there's there's

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three three parts of Gemini that I I
would I would say Gemini has three parts

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that we can use with students in
different ways. So there's notebook uh

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sorry it used to be called Notebook LM.
This summer they rebranded it to uh

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Gemini Notebook. And so what Gemini
Notebook is is that's kind of the

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training wheels of using AI where the
teacher puts in all of the information

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that they want the AI to use. It
leverages the technology for all of

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world the world's knowledge to just
those documents that the teacher put

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into that um notebook. So, it's a it's a
a closed system where you can upload

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five PDF documents and students can ask
questions of those five PDF documents

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and that's the only information that's
used by the large language model to get

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a question back. So, it doesn't go to
the world. Then the other next step

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which would be the, you know, you kind
of take the training wheels off and

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they're riding a bike which would be a
gem. So, a gem is something where a

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teacher puts in a large um prompt
telling the gem what it should do. So,

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you know, for example, you could have a
a gem that is a Benjamin Franklin and

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students could interview Benjamin
Franklin based on the prompt that the

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teacher put in to that gem. And that gem
only does that job. it will only pretend

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that it's Ben Franklin. Then the next,
you know, the the keys to the car would

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be a full open chat with Gemini. That's
like the most open it can be. And then

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that's prompt generation back and forth
and they they ask questions of the large

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language model contained within our um
sandbox. So within our Google workspace,

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which is not the same as it's still
protected more than like a regular G um

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00:32:01,200 --> 00:32:08,960
you know Gemini through Google would be.
>> Um

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00:32:06,240 --> 00:32:15,360
» yeah,
I just I have I I launched the U

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00:32:13,519 --> 00:32:18,559
yesterday the report you referenced it
earlier the three what is the you know

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00:32:17,120 --> 00:32:23,519
it wasn't just anybody it was the three
CEOs of the largest upfront AI

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00:32:20,720 --> 00:32:24,880
companies. Yep. all expressing this
caution.

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» Yeah.
>> And kind of, you know, freaks me out.

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So, I'm I'm assuming, [laughter]
>> you know, I I watched those movies from

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way back when.
>> Yeah.

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» Uh even Star Trek predicted this in '
66. So, u

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00:32:39,039 --> 00:32:43,600
I don't want to say we're going to slow
walk it, but we're going to slow walk

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00:32:42,720 --> 00:32:48,399
it. [laughter]
We've we've been Yes. We've been talking

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00:32:45,519 --> 00:32:53,679
with all people involved, and you know,
we are moving slowly. Yes. We are moving

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00:32:51,840 --> 00:32:58,240
slowly with this.
>> Well, obviously we're monitoring it and

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» Yep. Yep.
>> most used all over, but I also have read

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and again what am I reading? Is it
accurate? Is it reliable? I don't know.

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00:33:04,480 --> 00:33:09,440
But there's been
>> curious there have been

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00:33:07,200 --> 00:33:12,799
» decisions and actions of governments
that were based upon AI interpretation

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00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:15,600
of data.
>> Yep.

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00:33:13,440 --> 00:33:17,200
» To make decisions on certain actions.
I'll leave it at that because I don't

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00:33:16,720 --> 00:33:20,880
want to get
>> Yeah. But

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00:33:18,960 --> 00:33:24,399
» no, I I I agree with you. Like like I
said, I if if they if they pump the

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00:33:22,880 --> 00:33:29,200
bricks a little bit right now, I I
wouldn't be too upset other than

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00:33:27,840 --> 00:33:31,200
they're, you know, the other side of it
where if we slow down, other people

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00:33:30,559 --> 00:33:34,320
aren't
>> like it's it's always the you know,

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» they're worried about right
>> China and they're already far ahead of

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00:33:36,240 --> 00:33:39,039
us
>> or or some you know,

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00:33:38,000 --> 00:33:42,559
» they're very different too.
>> It's like like I referred to the Cold

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00:33:40,640 --> 00:33:47,039
War like it's it's really similar to the
Cold War. Um, you know, I was I I I

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00:33:45,440 --> 00:33:50,960
remember the oh, we got to stay ahead of
Russia. We have to stay ahead of Russia.

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00:33:48,320 --> 00:33:56,320
We have to stay out of Russia, okay? And
and we had a large buildup of nuclear

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00:33:54,000 --> 00:34:00,240
arms. Cooler head prevailed though. Like
they everyone was saying the nuclear

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00:33:58,240 --> 00:34:03,039
weapons are going to end humanity still
here.

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00:34:02,313 --> 00:34:07,120
[laughter]
Like you know, and that's the thing with

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00:34:04,720 --> 00:34:11,919
with anything we don't we don't know.
But again, I you know,

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00:34:09,679 --> 00:34:13,760
» that's
>> I can't fix that. So, I can't fix that.

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00:34:13,599 --> 00:34:15,520
I'm
>> sure we'll hear more down the road.

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00:34:14,879 --> 00:34:19,200
» Oh, I'm sure. Yeah.
>> Yeah.

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00:34:17,040 --> 00:34:22,159
» All right. All that aside, I've read a
gazillion articles and everything else.

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So,
>> all aside for students, is this an

325
00:34:24,800 --> 00:34:29,520
add-on cost or is it part of the
educational

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00:34:28,240 --> 00:34:30,720
» included in our workspace?
>> Okay.

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00:34:29,839 --> 00:34:33,359
» Yep.
>> So, there's no because I know that there

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00:34:31,919 --> 00:34:39,839
is an added cost in the work.
>> We have not we have not moved to the AI

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00:34:36,480 --> 00:34:43,119
um Google licensing for AI. We have we
have a little bit better than free,

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00:34:42,560 --> 00:34:48,720
» right?
>> Because we're we're workspace pro. The

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00:34:46,159 --> 00:34:53,520
next step would be work workspace pro
with AI add-on. And that's a whole

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00:34:51,520 --> 00:34:56,800
different we don't we're not ready for
that. We don't need that.

333
00:34:54,800 --> 00:35:00,720
» Oh, right. I just Yeah. And believe it
or not, there is a big difference

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00:34:58,400 --> 00:35:02,320
between using this Gemini and this Ge
and this Gemini.

335
00:35:01,680 --> 00:35:05,920
» I agree.
>> Because Google gives you the AI. That's

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00:35:03,760 --> 00:35:09,760
not true Gemini. Google's actually
become dumber as Gemini came on board.

337
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But that's okay.
>> Yep. Yeah. Every new project that I

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00:35:11,839 --> 00:35:19,680
start, I hit uh I have all four AIs as a
tab group in my Chrome. I hit that AI

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00:35:17,839 --> 00:35:24,640
button and I hold job interviews for
every project that I am doing and

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00:35:22,560 --> 00:35:29,680
whether it's Gemini, ChatgPT, Claude or
Grock. I basically hire a consultant

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00:35:27,520 --> 00:35:34,400
based on their initial prompt and go
from there. So I I I encourage people to

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00:35:31,920 --> 00:35:38,320
use all of them because finally it's the
same process for all the different

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00:35:36,560 --> 00:35:41,520
programs. like if you know how to use
one, you know how to use all four or

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00:35:40,079 --> 00:35:44,480
five or perplex, you know, there's a
bunch of them out there. But yeah, I

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00:35:42,960 --> 00:35:51,240
hold job interviews on a regular basis
now. Um they're just AI and who gives me

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00:35:47,280 --> 00:35:51,240
the answer that I'm looking for

347
00:35:52,000 --> 00:35:59,599
uh information. Um Paul and I go to a
summer workshop every year and I

348
00:35:57,119 --> 00:36:04,720
remember Paul two years ago we walked in
and it was AI and there was a school and

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00:36:02,320 --> 00:36:09,839
I can't remember what the school is but
Dr. Ward had a superintendent here for a

350
00:36:07,520 --> 00:36:13,680
retreat. I did not go, but his tech guy
was part of this. Whatever school

351
00:36:11,520 --> 00:36:18,880
district that is, his tech guy, but
Grand Island superintendent. Um, you

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00:36:16,240 --> 00:36:23,680
need to go into his program. He is big.
This is the superintendent that we went

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00:36:21,119 --> 00:36:28,079
to a presentation, not just the tech
person. The superintendent was gungho at

354
00:36:26,560 --> 00:36:31,760
his district with this. So, I'm
wondering how far they are and what we

355
00:36:30,400 --> 00:36:37,440
might learn from them.
>> It's a good resource. Thank you. And

356
00:36:33,440 --> 00:36:40,440
» island granella. All right. Yep.
Yeah.

357
00:36:46,560 --> 00:36:52,079
So, um I'm just wondering what this
would look like in the perspective of

358
00:36:50,000 --> 00:36:57,280
students because right now there is a
literacy crisis with um the younger ages

359
00:36:55,359 --> 00:37:01,680
and I guess this would be a generational
thing because obviously I went to I went

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00:37:00,000 --> 00:37:05,760
throughout all the school levels without
AI and this is a fairly recent thing.

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00:37:03,839 --> 00:37:11,119
So, how do you think you would implement
AI in the school district without having

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00:37:08,079 --> 00:37:15,280
students fully rely on it and not just
on like the school sanctioned devices

363
00:37:13,359 --> 00:37:19,200
but devices at home?
>> That's a very good point and that's a

364
00:37:16,960 --> 00:37:25,040
good question. That's why the uh you
know kind of the walk crawl run um where

365
00:37:23,440 --> 00:37:31,680
the
can't get my scroll to work here but um

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00:37:28,880 --> 00:37:37,040
so this I would say approach where at
the younger grades teaching to literacy

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00:37:34,400 --> 00:37:39,760
is very important and so that's why you
know we're not going to be putting in

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00:37:38,240 --> 00:37:45,440
prompt students won't be putting in
prompts in fourth grade to get

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00:37:42,960 --> 00:37:51,599
information spit back to them um they'll
they'll be working with more the like um

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00:37:49,200 --> 00:37:57,200
notebook uh Gemini notebook things like
that that are that are AI light and not

371
00:37:54,880 --> 00:38:01,359
fully like write me a paper on this
topic. So that's the tiered approach.

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00:37:59,599 --> 00:38:07,200
That's why the the crawl, walk, run,
drive type of thing to to slowly as

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00:38:04,480 --> 00:38:12,640
their skills build as a human and their
learning builds that way, then we

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00:38:09,680 --> 00:38:17,040
sprinkle in a little bit more as they
learn throughout the years. That's kind

375
00:38:14,079 --> 00:38:20,800
of the idea. Yeah. And then um one more
thing. So obviously this isn't a

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00:38:18,880 --> 00:38:26,320
district policy. It's a state policy
with the phones and everything, but do

377
00:38:22,960 --> 00:38:31,520
you think um kind of implementing the
use of AI for high schoolers at least

378
00:38:28,560 --> 00:38:38,160
like when you're um starting this plan,
do you think that will clash between the

379
00:38:34,560 --> 00:38:43,200
no phone use and using AI during school?
So at that we it would still it wouldn't

380
00:38:40,800 --> 00:38:47,760
supersede the phone policy but it would
they it would basically be used on the

381
00:38:45,040 --> 00:38:52,720
Chromebooks. So we we would use the
schoolisssued Chromebooks um as the

382
00:38:50,800 --> 00:38:57,760
access point not phones
>> right but do you think it would affect

383
00:38:55,359 --> 00:39:02,640
like the effectiveness of the phone
policy with using AI and kind of just

384
00:39:00,880 --> 00:39:06,560
where that is because it's already very
hard to enforce that already. Do you

385
00:39:04,640 --> 00:39:11,680
think the use of AI would make it more
difficult?

386
00:39:08,240 --> 00:39:15,760
» Um, I guess it's all on how you how the
how we use the devices really. It comes

387
00:39:13,680 --> 00:39:19,040
down to like if you misuse the device
for what it's not intended for, then

388
00:39:17,280 --> 00:39:22,880
that's why we have, you know, the cell
phone policy in place. So, it's it's all

389
00:39:20,640 --> 00:39:26,800
in how the technology is used and how
it's, you know, you're taught to use it

390
00:39:24,720 --> 00:39:30,720
over the over time. Like, you know,
distractions aren't new. It's it would

391
00:39:29,040 --> 00:39:35,040
it's it's a new distraction we'd have to
deal with. But yeah, that's entirely

392
00:39:33,599 --> 00:39:36,880
possible, but I I don't know what that
looks like.

393
00:39:35,680 --> 00:39:42,560
» Thank you.
>> And you know to understand right that

394
00:39:40,400 --> 00:39:45,359
you have a lot more control over what
happens on a Chromebook than you do on

395
00:39:43,920 --> 00:39:48,240
somebody's cell phone. You can't
actually control somebody's cell phone.

396
00:39:46,960 --> 00:39:50,720
» No, I have no control over everyone's
cell phone

397
00:39:48,640 --> 00:39:52,880
» other than the Google if they use it for
their Google email. That's about the

398
00:39:51,839 --> 00:39:58,560
only time you can control.
>> But yes, the Chromebooks, the

399
00:39:54,000 --> 00:40:03,359
Chromebooks and Gemini Ncsd I have much
more control over than any personal

400
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device. Definitely. Yep.
>> I I loved your questions because I think

401
00:40:05,440 --> 00:40:13,280
that's what every educator is asking.
Um, you know, once 2011 hits on a

402
00:40:11,119 --> 00:40:18,320
weekday, everything that we do in this
sandbox goes out the window. And, uh, I

403
00:40:16,560 --> 00:40:23,200
think the biggest the biggest thing that
we have to do, uh, AI is unavoidable.

404
00:40:21,440 --> 00:40:26,720
And I think we all know that. I think
there's there's nothing that we can do

405
00:40:24,640 --> 00:40:30,079
to slow that down. I mean, the genie's
out of the bottle. Even if we slow down

406
00:40:28,720 --> 00:40:33,520
development, it's not going away. You
can't even do a Google search now

407
00:40:31,280 --> 00:40:41,440
without AI telling you what the search
is, you know. Um,

408
00:40:37,520 --> 00:40:46,400
do we have any guardrails in place or
assignments that are inputed into a

409
00:40:44,480 --> 00:40:50,720
classroom for homework assignments such
that, you know, whatever that detects

410
00:40:48,320 --> 00:40:55,119
any sort I know the AI detection is bad,
but is there anything that we're doing

411
00:40:52,240 --> 00:40:59,440
that that that does that? I, you know,
having guardrails on during class is

412
00:40:57,040 --> 00:41:03,839
great because you're you're doing what
you can to make sure the student is

413
00:41:01,119 --> 00:41:07,599
absorbing what they need to absorb. But,
you know, once you're outside of that,

414
00:41:05,520 --> 00:41:11,760
you know, I find myself just asking a
question to Claude or to to Grock and

415
00:41:09,839 --> 00:41:15,599
and I don't I don't research it anymore.
I just ask it and it tells me and I'm

416
00:41:13,280 --> 00:41:19,040
done. So, you know, I I know that's
that's got to be happening. So,

417
00:41:17,920 --> 00:41:23,359
» are we trying to
>> So, I what I would say to that is yes, I

418
00:41:21,680 --> 00:41:28,319
you always have to, you know, question,
reason, you know, all that stuff. Um, as

419
00:41:25,760 --> 00:41:33,599
far as the AI checkers,
those are they don't work. Um, the flat

420
00:41:30,800 --> 00:41:39,760
out they they don't work. What I've been
asked Danielle and for in talking with

421
00:41:36,400 --> 00:41:44,079
teachers is use other detection clues.
Um, Google Docs has a great feature.

422
00:41:42,560 --> 00:41:47,440
It's a basically a time machine. It
gives you the whole history of how the

423
00:41:45,440 --> 00:41:51,599
document was written. If you go into the
history of a document that was turned in

424
00:41:48,960 --> 00:41:56,240
and it was a three-page paper done in 20
seconds, it's probably they're probably

425
00:41:53,760 --> 00:42:00,160
cheating in some way. Um, use those
other cont, you know, bring the student

426
00:41:58,480 --> 00:42:03,599
in and have a conversation with them and
have them explain their paper. if they

427
00:42:01,680 --> 00:42:07,599
wrote the paper, if they did something,
they should be able to defend it and

428
00:42:04,960 --> 00:42:13,040
explain it to like so the AI checkers
are not they're very fallible and I

429
00:42:10,480 --> 00:42:16,560
would hate to put the the level of
scrutiny that would come to that student

430
00:42:14,960 --> 00:42:21,040
based on something that doesn't work
well. Um, so using other tools like the

431
00:42:19,280 --> 00:42:26,000
history, the conversation with a
student, other like detective type clues

432
00:42:24,079 --> 00:42:29,440
to see if they're using AI or not
because they could put it into AI and

433
00:42:27,760 --> 00:42:32,880
then put it into another AI and say make
it sound like it's wasn't written by AI

434
00:42:31,040 --> 00:42:35,839
and like you know, it's it's a never-
ending.

435
00:42:33,520 --> 00:42:39,440
» Sure. You know, I think I think writing
assignments there are some telltale

436
00:42:37,760 --> 00:42:40,640
signs if you're reading it if you know,
you're not gonna

437
00:42:40,160 --> 00:42:44,079
» Absolutely.
>> You know, but I worry about, you know, I

438
00:42:42,640 --> 00:42:47,359
worry about math assignments. You can
just take a picture of a formula and it

439
00:42:45,520 --> 00:42:50,800
will tell you, you know, I just things
like that. I, you know, if we're

440
00:42:49,280 --> 00:42:56,160
teaching people how to use this
responsibly, doing what we can in school

441
00:42:53,440 --> 00:42:58,880
to make sure that
not using AI when they shouldn't be.

442
00:42:58,480 --> 00:43:02,560
» Yeah.
>> And I think the approach that you have

443
00:43:00,240 --> 00:43:05,280
is is good start.
>> Yeah. And I I want to teach them how to

444
00:43:03,839 --> 00:43:08,319
use it appropriately because the second
they walk across the stage, they're

445
00:43:06,640 --> 00:43:12,480
going to be using AI in their daily
lives. Like their boss is going to

446
00:43:10,319 --> 00:43:15,440
expect them to use AI. So, I'd rather
have them learn how to use it ahead of

447
00:43:13,680 --> 00:43:19,119
time than walk across the stage and be
like, "Oh, what's this new thing?" Like,

448
00:43:17,680 --> 00:43:23,599
I'd rather have them know how to use it
appropriately now than when they walk

449
00:43:21,200 --> 00:43:26,400
across the stage and become adults. So,
>> like we used to we still strive for

450
00:43:25,920 --> 00:43:29,119
creating
>> Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely.

451
00:43:27,280 --> 00:43:31,200
» global digital citizens. This is just
another piece of that.

452
00:43:30,000 --> 00:43:34,319
» Another piece of it. Absolutely.
>> Teach them how to y

453
00:43:32,720 --> 00:43:37,760
» how to use it in a in a
>> Exactly. Absolutely.

454
00:43:36,640 --> 00:43:41,599
» Thank you, Jason. Is there
>> anything else?

455
00:43:39,359 --> 00:43:45,760
» No, I just want to thank you. um and
your team for this is not an easy

456
00:43:43,680 --> 00:43:51,040
problem to tackle. Everybody has an
opinion and um it's uh something we're

457
00:43:49,200 --> 00:43:56,640
working through as a district. Um it
really is a collaborative piece uh back

458
00:43:53,200 --> 00:44:00,400
and forth and uh so at the same time we
want to make sure our kids are prepared.

459
00:43:58,240 --> 00:44:02,720
So that's where that's what we're trying
to figure out.

460
00:44:02,079 --> 00:44:04,480
» Perfect.
>> Thank you.

461
00:44:03,119 --> 00:44:09,440
» I'll give you a microphone. Can you can
you leave it there, Jason? On the Jason,

462
00:44:07,520 --> 00:44:12,079
can you leave it on the table, please?
Thank you.

463
00:44:16,560 --> 00:44:22,640
Okay. Um, next we'll move into our
comments from the audience section.

464
00:44:20,720 --> 00:44:26,560
We've got three speaker this speakers
this evening. I'd just like to remind

465
00:44:24,640 --> 00:44:29,520
you to please keep it at the three
minute mark. And if you have any

466
00:44:28,000 --> 00:44:33,440
comments in writing that you want to
submit to Jill, um, please do so. And

467
00:44:32,079 --> 00:44:36,319
and if you have any digital comments
that you want to submit, if you email

468
00:44:34,720 --> 00:44:41,480
them to her, we will all receive those
as well. Uh, first up we have Danielle.

469
00:44:47,280 --> 00:44:54,000
Welcome. Sit, stand, whatever. If you
can just turn the mic on there and uh

470
00:44:52,560 --> 00:44:59,640
you're going to stand if you can just
hold it a little bit.

471
00:44:56,640 --> 00:44:59,640
Welcome.

472
00:45:00,000 --> 00:45:06,800
» Good evening and thank you for allowing
me a few minutes to speak. My name is

473
00:45:04,480 --> 00:45:12,480
Danielle Piol. I'm here tonight not only
as a former North Syracuse early

474
00:45:09,520 --> 00:45:18,960
education parent, but as the mother of a
little boy who was life was profoundly

475
00:45:16,160 --> 00:45:22,560
impacted by the program. In the summer
of 2020, during the height of the

476
00:45:20,400 --> 00:45:28,079
pandemic, Logan was just three years old
when he was diagnosed with epilept

477
00:45:25,760 --> 00:45:32,960
supposed to start UPK that fall.
Instead, our lives became about

478
00:45:30,079 --> 00:45:37,440
seizures, medications, hospital visits,
trying to and basically trying to keep

479
00:45:34,960 --> 00:45:42,800
our little boy safe. Initially started
at Northster, but by the end of

480
00:45:40,160 --> 00:45:46,480
September, Logan was asked to leave due
to behavioral concern. After an

481
00:45:44,880 --> 00:45:52,400
evaluation, we learned he qualified for
special education, and in November, he

482
00:45:49,280 --> 00:45:56,560
began ma attending Main Street. I will
never forget how difficult it was to put

483
00:45:54,319 --> 00:46:00,880
my four-year-old on the school bus and
walk away.

484
00:45:58,160 --> 00:46:05,280
Logan had uncontrolled medication
resistant epilepsy.

485
00:46:03,280 --> 00:46:09,119
Never knew when a seizure would happen
or how severe it would be. And sending

486
00:46:07,280 --> 00:46:16,000
him to school required an enormous
amount of trust. And the people at Main

487
00:46:11,920 --> 00:46:21,680
Street earned that trust. Von, Gail,
Kristen, Jill, Sarah, Hammy, and so many

488
00:46:20,079 --> 00:46:26,880
other staff members didn't just see a
child with that blood. They saw Logan.

489
00:46:24,400 --> 00:46:31,760
They learned him. They understood him.
They supported him and they celebrated

490
00:46:28,880 --> 00:46:35,520
him. There were terrifying moments.
Logan had seizure clusters at school and

491
00:46:34,079 --> 00:46:40,240
the school nurse had to administer
rescue medication and call an ambulance.

492
00:46:38,079 --> 00:46:45,119
But I reme but what I remember most is
knowing he was surrounded by people who

493
00:46:42,319 --> 00:46:50,880
knew what to do. Generally cared about
him. And that is what makes the North

494
00:46:48,800 --> 00:46:56,640
Syracuse Early Education Program so
valuable. It isn't simply a building or

495
00:46:53,839 --> 00:47:00,720
a preschool classroom. It's a community.
therapists, aids, administrators, and

496
00:46:58,640 --> 00:47:04,720
families working together to meet the
children where they are.

497
00:47:03,040 --> 00:47:08,560
Children with disabilities and complex
needs. Having those professionals

498
00:47:06,560 --> 00:47:15,520
together creates something incredibly
important. Consistency

499
00:47:12,000 --> 00:47:19,920
matters. Today,
Logan is a completely different child

500
00:47:18,000 --> 00:47:24,480
from that scored that scared
four-year-old little boy who walked into

501
00:47:21,839 --> 00:47:29,119
Main Street in 2020. He has overcome
more than most people will ever know.

502
00:47:26,480 --> 00:47:33,119
And I truly believe NC was a part of
that foundation that helped him get

503
00:47:30,640 --> 00:47:37,839
here. I'm not saying the building can
never change. Buildings ch buildings can

504
00:47:35,440 --> 00:47:42,960
change, but the program should not be
lost. Please don't divide the community

505
00:47:40,560 --> 00:47:46,880
among multiple elementary schools and
lose a centralized inclusive model that

506
00:47:45,040 --> 00:47:53,440
has served so many children and
families. Keep

507
00:47:49,920 --> 00:47:58,960
the therapist together. keep the resour
keep the together because when you're

508
00:47:56,480 --> 00:48:03,200
the parent of a child who needs that
kind of support

509
00:48:01,920 --> 00:48:08,160
knowing your child is surrounded by
people who understand them and believe

510
00:48:05,040 --> 00:48:12,000
in them is priceless.
Building may be old but with built

511
00:48:10,240 --> 00:48:16,560
inside those walls it's anything but
old. It's a foundation. It's a community

512
00:48:14,880 --> 00:48:19,680
and for families like mine it's a part
of our child's story we will never

513
00:48:17,920 --> 00:48:22,480
forget. Thank you.
>> Thank you.

514
00:48:25,520 --> 00:48:29,160
Next we have Derek.

515
00:48:35,839 --> 00:48:38,839
Welcome.

516
00:48:42,800 --> 00:48:48,880
» Push the button. Push the button there.
Thank you.

517
00:48:46,800 --> 00:48:51,760
» Hello, my name is Derek Mloud. I'm a
North Syracuse alumnist and a high

518
00:48:50,559 --> 00:48:55,440
school teacher in a different school
district. I'm here today to share the

519
00:48:53,599 --> 00:48:59,680
story about my daughter's first day of
UPK. We knew our daughter was ready for

520
00:48:58,160 --> 00:49:03,359
school, but for weeks leading up to her
first day, she had been saying that she

521
00:49:01,200 --> 00:49:05,839
was nervous, and understandably so, as a
kid's whole world is now changing to

522
00:49:04,960 --> 00:49:10,000
something that they're not even
completely sure of yet. I was sad that I

523
00:49:08,319 --> 00:49:13,599
couldn't be there for drop off due to it
being my first day of school. But I got

524
00:49:11,839 --> 00:49:17,680
the green light to leave school early so
I could be there to pick her up. I

525
00:49:15,920 --> 00:49:21,119
arrived well within the pickup window,
met up with my wife, and we excitedly

526
00:49:19,280 --> 00:49:24,240
went to our daughter's classroom. I had
this vision of my daughter running over

527
00:49:22,559 --> 00:49:28,079
to hug us with a big smile on her face
and tell us all about her first day. We

528
00:49:26,640 --> 00:49:32,319
went to her classroom, but our daughter
was not there. Our stomachs immediately

529
00:49:30,240 --> 00:49:35,839
sank. We were told they put her on a
bus. We started asking questions and we

530
00:49:34,400 --> 00:49:39,280
weren't immediately given an answer as
to where she was being busted to. After

531
00:49:37,920 --> 00:49:43,359
a few minutes that seemed like an
eternity, they finally told us that she

532
00:49:41,040 --> 00:49:47,839
was sent to a nearby elementary school.
We raced over there and had to had to

533
00:49:46,160 --> 00:49:51,680
wait in line at the main door to explain
the situation to the school resource

534
00:49:49,440 --> 00:49:54,800
officer. We were eventually let in and
met up with our daughter who was in the

535
00:49:53,200 --> 00:49:58,960
main office with her head down sobbing
uncontrollably. Our daughter, fighting

536
00:49:57,119 --> 00:50:02,559
through tears, told us that she spoke up
and said she was not supposed to go on

537
00:50:00,559 --> 00:50:06,559
the bus. Our daughter told us that she
pointed out that her mother was right

538
00:50:03,839 --> 00:50:09,440
there on site waiting for her. Our
daughter told us that she recited her

539
00:50:08,160 --> 00:50:12,559
address, her mother's name, and phone
number just like we had taught her to do

540
00:50:10,640 --> 00:50:16,400
in the case of an emergency. Somehow
between two teachers, four adults in the

541
00:50:14,480 --> 00:50:19,520
main office, one bus driver and one bus
attendant. Our daughter's words were

542
00:50:18,079 --> 00:50:23,440
ignored and she was forced to get on the
bus. As parents, we teach our children

543
00:50:21,760 --> 00:50:26,720
to have a voice. But unfortunately, my
daughter's voice was immediately ignored

544
00:50:24,960 --> 00:50:30,720
by numerous adults the very first time
she was placed in the care of strangers.

545
00:50:29,040 --> 00:50:33,359
I'm scared to be alone and I don't want
to go to school is not what I was

546
00:50:32,000 --> 00:50:37,599
expecting to hear from my daughter after
the first day of school. Following day,

547
00:50:36,079 --> 00:50:40,400
our daughter sadly informed us that
nobody even apologized to her. I would

548
00:50:39,520 --> 00:50:42,720
have thought that it would have been
addressed and she would have been

549
00:50:41,440 --> 00:50:47,119
reassured that it would never happen
again. For me, the immediate fix was to

550
00:50:45,440 --> 00:50:50,319
rip out the bus pass that for some
reason was placed in her backpack and to

551
00:50:48,880 --> 00:50:54,880
replace it with an index card that says
no bus in big red letters. However,

552
00:50:53,040 --> 00:50:57,920
after sharing our story, we became aware
that this also happened to other

553
00:50:56,160 --> 00:51:02,240
students, some as young as three years
old at that same building, as well as

554
00:51:00,079 --> 00:51:05,440
students in other buildings. I realize
this is a large district with hundreds

555
00:51:03,839 --> 00:51:08,720
of students at each grade level, but I
was very alarmed that something like

556
00:51:06,800 --> 00:51:12,079
this could slip through so many cracks
and for it to happen to multiple

557
00:51:10,079 --> 00:51:15,599
children in different buildings. What a
way to make a small child feel like they

558
00:51:13,680 --> 00:51:18,800
don't matter right from the get-go. We
need to be more diligent in making sure

559
00:51:17,119 --> 00:51:23,200
that students transportation information
is accurate and confirm that accuracy

560
00:51:20,960 --> 00:51:26,079
before the first day of school. Parents,
guardians, schools, and the

561
00:51:24,480 --> 00:51:30,319
transportation department all need to be
on the same page. One possible solution

562
00:51:28,640 --> 00:51:33,520
is perhaps a simple spreadsheet with
students names, transportation

563
00:51:31,760 --> 00:51:37,440
information, bus number, and transfer
school as a way to catalog this data and

564
00:51:35,760 --> 00:51:40,640
for staff to quickly and easily look up
a student's information if needed.

565
00:51:39,359 --> 00:51:44,160
Hopefully, we can figure out some sort
of better system to avoid traumatizing

566
00:51:42,400 --> 00:51:49,720
our students in the future. Thank you
for your time.

567
00:51:46,480 --> 00:51:49,720
» Thank you.

568
00:51:51,680 --> 00:51:55,160
» Next, we have Melissa.

569
00:52:00,559 --> 00:52:03,559
Welcome.

570
00:52:06,240 --> 00:52:11,640
» I'm going to um speak about

571
00:52:14,480 --> 00:52:23,599
Good evening. My name is Melissa Lewis
and I'm here tonight as Hudson's mom.

572
00:52:20,960 --> 00:52:29,599
out in the hallway right now, but he was
excited to come. Um, Hudson attended the

573
00:52:27,200 --> 00:52:36,319
North Syracuse Early Education Program
from 2021 to 20.

574
00:52:33,520 --> 00:52:42,240
And we really can't say enough about the
impact that that experience had on his

575
00:52:39,440 --> 00:52:47,680
development and on our family. Um,
Hudson is autistic. When he was

576
00:52:44,960 --> 00:52:54,880
preschool aged, he was bright, curious,
and eager to learn, but many parts of

577
00:52:50,640 --> 00:53:00,079
the school day were very challenging.
Support with communication,

578
00:52:57,760 --> 00:53:06,000
social interaction, and managing an
environment that could oftent times feel

579
00:53:02,880 --> 00:53:11,200
overwhelming to him. Early intervention
matters because the pres are not simply

580
00:53:08,800 --> 00:53:15,359
a waiting period before the child begins
their formal education.

581
00:53:13,520 --> 00:53:20,319
They are a critical window of
development. The skills children build

582
00:53:18,079 --> 00:53:26,240
during these years become the foundation
for how they communicate, learn, develop

583
00:53:23,200 --> 00:53:32,079
relationships, and participate in school
life. What made Hudson's preschool

584
00:53:29,040 --> 00:53:38,319
experience so powerful was not one
individual service. It was the

585
00:53:34,960 --> 00:53:44,400
surrounding him. his
therapist, occupational therapist,

586
00:53:41,359 --> 00:53:49,839
speech therapist, school psychologist,
vision therapist, teaching assistants,

587
00:53:47,280 --> 00:53:54,720
and other wonderful school staff were
able to work together, share what they

588
00:53:52,480 --> 00:53:58,160
were seeing, and support the whole
child.

589
00:53:56,559 --> 00:54:03,680
Person brought a different area of
expertise, but they work toward the same

590
00:54:00,640 --> 00:54:08,720
goals. That kind of collaboration is
incredibly valuable. A therapist might

591
00:54:06,720 --> 00:54:12,960
identify a need. The teacher could
reinforce that skill throughout the day,

592
00:54:11,119 --> 00:54:18,400
and then Hudson could practice it
naturally alongside his peers. His

593
00:54:16,000 --> 00:54:24,400
progress was not limited to an isolated
therapy session. Support was woven into

594
00:54:21,440 --> 00:54:28,480
his classroom, his routine,
and his relationships.

595
00:54:26,559 --> 00:54:35,160
Hudson learned how to participate in a
classroom community, practice

596
00:54:30,640 --> 00:54:35,160
communicating, following routines,

597
00:54:36,079 --> 00:54:44,559
and becoming more independent. At the
same time, his peers learn

598
00:54:42,640 --> 00:54:49,680
and experience the world in different
ways. That is one of the strengths of an

599
00:54:47,280 --> 00:54:55,920
integrated school environment, and every
child benefits. Today, Hudson is seven

600
00:54:53,040 --> 00:55:02,000
years old. He loves school, reading, and
animals, and thrives when he has

601
00:54:58,480 --> 00:55:07,040
structure and adults who understand him.
The child he is today was shaped by the

602
00:55:04,480 --> 00:55:11,920
early support that he received and by
the team of professionals who recognized

603
00:55:09,359 --> 00:55:16,160
his potential and helped him build
skills one step at a time. So, I

604
00:55:14,720 --> 00:55:20,480
understand that the district has
difficult decisions to make, but I ask

605
00:55:18,480 --> 00:55:24,960
you to look beyond enrollment numbers
and budget. Um, please consider what

606
00:55:23,119 --> 00:55:29,599
early intervention can change for a
child, what a coordinated team of

607
00:55:27,280 --> 00:55:34,480
professionals can accomplish and what
may be lost if families no longer have

608
00:55:31,839 --> 00:55:38,880
access to this kind of program. Main
Street helped give Hudson the foundation

609
00:55:36,640 --> 00:55:44,079
he needed to grow into the student that
he is today. Please protect this program

610
00:55:42,000 --> 00:55:50,040
so future children and families have
that same opportunity. Thank

611
00:55:46,880 --> 00:55:50,040
» Thank you.

612
00:55:55,920 --> 00:56:04,079
Okay, we will move into our
board of education committee reports.

613
00:56:02,720 --> 00:56:08,480
Mr. Thorne,
>> thank you. Our first policy committee

614
00:56:06,400 --> 00:56:11,920
meeting of the uh school year will take
place tomorrow here at the district

615
00:56:10,079 --> 00:56:18,160
office at 5:00 pm.
>> Thank you very much.

616
00:56:15,119 --> 00:56:23,440
» Sorry. Um
so very quickly our first meeting the

617
00:56:21,040 --> 00:56:30,160
legislative committee will be October
7th 5 to 6 o'clock and we're glad that

618
00:56:26,160 --> 00:56:36,000
Mia will be joining us.
Um so for Boseies again I apologize I

619
00:56:33,280 --> 00:56:44,079
haven't been here um the last two board
meetings but somehow I am so happy I

620
00:56:40,319 --> 00:56:52,400
went to OC's graduation at West Jennese
for adult ed were two best students that

621
00:56:48,880 --> 00:56:57,359
I knew and one I really can't talk about
privately but it made a difference in

622
00:56:54,400 --> 00:57:03,359
his life that he went to the program.
So, thank you for letting me go to that.

623
00:56:59,920 --> 00:57:09,280
Um, we're in the search um September 9th
was the deadline um for applicants to

624
00:57:06,559 --> 00:57:14,720
apply for the OCM Bosei school board I
mean for superintendency and um our

625
00:57:13,440 --> 00:57:18,799
consultant is looking at the
applications meeting with all the the

626
00:57:17,200 --> 00:57:23,920
applicants and then we'll be starting
the process which will take us

627
00:57:21,520 --> 00:57:30,480
Christmas.
>> Thank you Bob. Dr. reward.

628
00:57:27,760 --> 00:57:34,480
» Um, sure. Um, I just have three quick
things. Uh, the first one, although it

629
00:57:32,720 --> 00:57:40,079
seems like it was a long time ago, our
first school week was last week. Um, and

630
00:57:37,599 --> 00:57:43,920
I just want to say, um, all the reports
that, and I'm sorry the gentleman spoke

631
00:57:41,839 --> 00:57:49,280
tonight had a bad experience, but for
all the reports that I've heard, um, it

632
00:57:46,640 --> 00:57:55,200
was a very smooth opening for us. Um,
and there were a lot of happy kids, um,

633
00:57:51,920 --> 00:58:00,720
that we had definitely seen. Um, as far
as the other little bump in the road we

634
00:57:58,079 --> 00:58:04,880
had, um, we had some lakeshore testing,
uh, being done, um, as far as air

635
00:58:02,720 --> 00:58:09,200
quality issues and things like that. And
I just wanted to report to the board and

636
00:58:06,480 --> 00:58:14,720
the community that, um, those test
results uh, deemed the air quality safe,

637
00:58:12,319 --> 00:58:19,200
but we will continue to monitor the air
quality um, at Lakeshore, specifically

638
00:58:17,599 --> 00:58:24,000
when you don't live in a place for a
little while. um there may be um

639
00:58:22,319 --> 00:58:29,359
moisture issues and things like that
because HBAC systems haven't been on for

640
00:58:26,319 --> 00:58:34,960
a while. So, we think that's really um
part of the issue um at Lakeshore. Um

641
00:58:32,799 --> 00:58:41,520
and then I just wanted to mention if you
haven't seen it yet um um there was a

642
00:58:38,799 --> 00:58:47,200
Syracuse.com article today um that
talked about the STEMHub

643
00:58:43,839 --> 00:58:52,160
um at CNS High School. And we think that
sracuse.com for this particular article

644
00:58:49,760 --> 00:58:56,319
did a nice job summarizing
uh the efforts that we have in order to

645
00:58:54,480 --> 00:59:00,400
make that a reality for our children.
So, uh if you haven't read that, please

646
00:58:58,480 --> 00:59:04,440
do so. Thank you.
>> Thank you. Any board comments?

647
00:59:05,119 --> 00:59:12,960
» No.
Go ahead.

648
00:59:09,920 --> 00:59:18,799
» Aren't you all glad I'm back?
Um so

649
00:59:15,359 --> 00:59:23,839
um yeah the I got a chance um to go over
to Allen Road on the first day of

650
00:59:20,400 --> 00:59:29,839
school. Um visited with um the teachers
beforehand. They were excited. Um, and

651
00:59:26,880 --> 00:59:34,480
then I stood outside and as the kids got
off the buses and they do have a you

652
00:59:32,480 --> 00:59:40,240
what happens to students come to Allen
Road and then they get on another bus

653
00:59:36,880 --> 00:59:44,319
and go to the Y I believe for UPK and it
looked like it was organized to me. Now

654
00:59:42,640 --> 00:59:50,319
get ready, Dr. Ward. I'm thanking you
for this. Um, you know how I talked

655
00:59:46,720 --> 00:59:55,920
about class sizes and I come back and I
am so happy for what you did and what

656
00:59:52,640 --> 01:00:00,400
the team did down there at the end. Um,
so I would ask I don't know if it's Sean

657
00:59:57,920 --> 01:00:05,280
Fehee who does this every week. Used to
be Chris Ley. Um, it's now a plus one at

658
01:00:03,599 --> 01:00:10,720
Allen Road. You got to change the
numbers. Minus one at Bear Road, a plus

659
01:00:07,839 --> 01:00:16,160
one at Gillette Road, and a minus um
five. Still um concerned about a couple

660
01:00:13,359 --> 01:00:20,400
of them, but class sizes look very good.
And the fourth grade at Allen Road was

661
01:00:18,319 --> 01:00:27,200
very pleased. Instead of having 25 and
26, they have 17 and 18. And that's the

662
01:00:23,280 --> 01:00:32,720
way it that's the way it should be. Um I
am very concerned about the other

663
01:00:30,000 --> 01:00:37,839
enrollment that we're getting each week
because I can't believe that our

664
01:00:34,799 --> 01:00:43,599
enrollment went up three to 400 kids and
that's what's happened. If you I keep

665
01:00:40,000 --> 01:00:48,559
all these I rate back five six years and
I look at classes from last year and

666
01:00:46,880 --> 01:00:53,839
then there's 50 more kids in the next
class. How did that happen? So I don't

667
01:00:50,640 --> 01:00:58,480
know who does this if it's John Fehee.
Um it I need to know what these numbers

668
01:00:56,799 --> 01:01:03,839
stand for. It is not kids in the
classroom because this one is that and I

669
01:01:00,960 --> 01:01:08,880
would ask Dr. Ward um as all other
school districts do after the beds form.

670
01:01:06,400 --> 01:01:13,839
Paul knows what that is. Um teachers put
that in that we have a presentation by

671
01:01:11,040 --> 01:01:18,319
Sean Fehee on enrollment after the you
know middle of October November because

672
01:01:16,000 --> 01:01:22,640
I'm really confused. I talked to Jill.
She's confused about the numbers on this

673
01:01:20,480 --> 01:01:30,160
sheet. I can't believe that we have a
senior class of 640 when we only had 500

674
01:01:27,359 --> 01:01:35,680
something in it last year in 11th grade.
So, I'm just very confused about that.

675
01:01:33,280 --> 01:01:40,559
Um
I

676
01:01:37,680 --> 01:01:44,960
the buses I understand.
However, I was sitting in my rocking

677
01:01:43,280 --> 01:01:51,520
chair in the front and the last Allen
Road bus left Friday at 4:27. That's not

678
01:01:48,960 --> 01:01:55,920
good. I don't want I didn't see it
today. 4:27

679
01:01:54,000 --> 01:02:02,240
and it's the fourth day of school.
Things should have been changed. I'm

680
01:01:58,079 --> 01:02:06,799
hearing that good old Micron is making
our buses late on the first run. And if

681
01:02:05,040 --> 01:02:10,880
they're late on the first run, it goes
to the second run and goes to the third

682
01:02:08,559 --> 01:02:15,520
run. They were very late the first day
of school. There was not one bus at

683
01:02:13,040 --> 01:02:20,559
Allen Road at 9:00. There was not one
bus at 5 after 9. The last bus was way

684
01:02:18,640 --> 01:02:24,640
after 9:30. This should not be
happening. First day of school, I can go

685
01:02:22,400 --> 01:02:28,960
along with it. But on a Friday, those
teachers after four days, teachers in

686
01:02:27,040 --> 01:02:33,440
the audience, four days of working with
kids should not have to stay after

687
01:02:31,119 --> 01:02:38,319
school another half hour because the
buses are late. So concerned about And

688
01:02:36,000 --> 01:02:43,839
then of course, I'm sure you all heard
that the bus um lights were not working.

689
01:02:40,880 --> 01:02:48,640
I live at the right place, Sen Road, and
um they are now working. And I want to

690
01:02:46,319 --> 01:02:52,960
tell you they're excellent. They are
bright. They are 20 bright. You know,

691
01:02:51,119 --> 01:02:57,200
they're really bright. And so going to
that, and I do know that's not us.

692
01:02:54,799 --> 01:03:03,920
That's the town. And the town went to a
diff different company. Um, but I want

693
01:03:00,559 --> 01:03:09,119
to thank Kate. She's in the back. Um,
because one of uh our parents was very,

694
01:03:06,480 --> 01:03:13,520
very concerned about
cars going through the the you know, not

695
01:03:12,000 --> 01:03:19,280
having the lights and not knowing what
it was. and uh he did the right thing.

696
01:03:16,480 --> 01:03:23,039
He called and got to call, you know,
they told her to call her and she got

697
01:03:21,359 --> 01:03:27,599
back to him and explained it. Thank you,
Kate. That's what communication is for

698
01:03:25,839 --> 01:03:31,920
in our district. She got back right away
to the the gentleman because he had a

699
01:03:29,359 --> 01:03:36,640
little grandson going to Bear Road. So,
I'm sure we'll work on those things. But

700
01:03:34,559 --> 01:03:40,480
the last thing, and I have to say it in
public,

701
01:03:38,480 --> 01:03:45,280
taxes.
I'm not going to say it behind anybody's

702
01:03:42,079 --> 01:03:50,400
back. Um, I live in the town of Clay. In
the town of Salina, what we predicted

703
01:03:47,760 --> 01:03:57,039
went down and that's what should happen.
The town of Cicero,

704
01:03:52,559 --> 01:04:04,880
I was bombarded at church on Sunday with
$1,000 on seniors. Now, some of them

705
01:04:00,720 --> 01:04:10,240
have enhanced star, but $1,000. Others
were 700800.

706
01:04:07,119 --> 01:04:16,799
Um, again, Don, it's not us. It's the
assessments. Hoping that you put

707
01:04:12,559 --> 01:04:22,319
something on the um website explaining
that we don't set the taxes as such. We

708
01:04:20,319 --> 01:04:28,240
set the budget. We do the budget. And
it's the town that does the assessments

709
01:04:25,599 --> 01:04:31,359
and and they do the equalization. You
have a lot of concerned parents. I don't

710
01:04:29,839 --> 01:04:37,760
know if anybody's notifying you, but
they're notifying me. They know I'm on

711
01:04:33,520 --> 01:04:44,599
the school board. um six over six% is
not um allowable in my estimation. Thank

712
01:04:41,599 --> 01:04:44,599
you.

713
01:04:45,039 --> 01:04:50,799
» Go ahead.
>> The first week at the high school was

714
01:04:48,559 --> 01:04:55,520
very smooth. Like Dr. Ward said, I got
to attend all three of the classwide

715
01:04:53,039 --> 01:04:59,200
meetings that were new this year. So
alongside Miss Hill, I got to introduce

716
01:04:57,440 --> 01:05:03,599
myself with the rest of the
administration there as well as the

717
01:05:01,520 --> 01:05:10,799
counselors and other resources there
such as Mrs. Gver in the career center.

718
01:05:06,240 --> 01:05:15,119
So we were able to um emphasize the
importance of extracurriculars, which is

719
01:05:12,880 --> 01:05:20,559
what I've been trying to do since I
started this role. So um I'm excited for

720
01:05:18,640 --> 01:05:24,720
a good year. Thank you.
>> Thank you very much.

721
01:05:23,200 --> 01:05:30,640
Okay, we'll move into routine action
items. Do I have a motion to take A and

722
01:05:27,119 --> 01:05:35,520
B together as a group? Paul and Mandy.
Any questions or comments? All those in

723
01:05:33,280 --> 01:05:39,599
favor?
Thank you. And C, the declaration of

724
01:05:38,160 --> 01:05:43,839
marketable and non-marketable surplus.
Do I have a motion to take that as

725
01:05:41,200 --> 01:05:49,680
submitted? Mark and Cheryl. Any
questions or comments? All those in

726
01:05:46,000 --> 01:05:53,200
favor? That is unanimous. Thank you.
Next, we have discussion action item.

727
01:05:51,280 --> 01:05:58,079
The first one is to approve the contract
for services with an estimated cost to

728
01:05:55,200 --> 01:06:01,920
the district of $727,295
to authorize the superintendent to

729
01:05:59,599 --> 01:06:08,319
execute the contract on the district's
behalf. This is for our Autodoga County

730
01:06:04,559 --> 01:06:13,839
School Resource Officers. Um, do we have
a motion to place that before us?

731
01:06:11,680 --> 01:06:18,640
Carol and Mandy. Any questions,
comments, discussion? All those in

732
01:06:16,240 --> 01:06:23,440
favor?
Thank you.

733
01:06:20,720 --> 01:06:28,559
Next, we have a resolution to restate
the North Syracuse Central School

734
01:06:24,640 --> 01:06:32,920
District 403b plan.
I have a motion to place that

735
01:06:29,920 --> 01:06:32,920
resolution.

736
01:06:34,160 --> 01:06:41,319
Carol, any questions or comments on
this?

737
01:06:37,680 --> 01:06:41,319
All those in favor?

738
01:06:42,319 --> 01:06:49,359
Next, we have a resolution to create
positions

739
01:06:46,960 --> 01:06:56,720
for
aid uh school monitors. Um,

740
01:06:55,280 --> 01:07:01,280
this is routine, right? Don, we've done
this. Yeah. Do I have a motion to place

741
01:06:59,520 --> 01:07:06,000
that
and Carol? Any questions or comments on

742
01:07:04,240 --> 01:07:09,000
this
favor?

743
01:07:10,240 --> 01:07:17,440
Next, we have a resolution to increase
substitute pay rates. Do I have a motion

744
01:07:14,880 --> 01:07:20,440
to approve those new rates as presented?
Bob,

745
01:07:20,480 --> 01:07:26,839
any questions or comments on this? All
those in favor?

746
01:07:27,280 --> 01:07:33,440
Next, we have a special board meeting
that we need to set for October 13,

747
01:07:30,960 --> 01:07:36,720
2026.
I have a motion from the board to

748
01:07:34,880 --> 01:07:45,880
approve that special board of education
meeting. Mandy and Mark, any questions?

749
01:07:42,319 --> 01:07:45,880
All those in favor?

750
01:07:47,760 --> 01:07:53,760
Next, we just have to acknowledge uh the
appointment [clears throat] of Miss

751
01:07:52,000 --> 01:07:57,119
Marissa Carbone as an impartial hearing
officer pursuant to part 200 of the

752
01:07:55,839 --> 01:08:02,520
regulations of the Commissioner of
Education. Do I have a motion to

753
01:07:58,799 --> 01:08:02,520
acknowledge that appointment?

754
01:08:02,640 --> 01:08:10,480
And Paul, any questions on that? All
those in favor?

755
01:08:08,160 --> 01:08:13,920
Thank you. Before we move into
personnel, I just want to acknowledge

756
01:08:12,160 --> 01:08:19,759
some retirements. We have Barbara
Bilcom, a bus dispatcher, is retiring

757
01:08:15,760 --> 01:08:25,440
with 28.6 years of service. Barb Kaza, a
school bus driver, is retiring with 33.7

758
01:08:22,799 --> 01:08:29,920
years of service. And Darlene Nino, a
school bus driver, is retiring with two

759
01:08:27,359 --> 01:08:33,040
years of service. So, as always, we
thank them for their dedication and

760
01:08:31,520 --> 01:08:36,960
commitment to their community and school
district and wish them a long, happy,

761
01:08:34,560 --> 01:08:42,759
and healthy retirement.
We need an executive session before we

762
01:08:38,560 --> 01:08:42,759
move into personnel A, B, and C.

763
01:08:48,719 --> 01:08:56,719
I have a motion to uh approve personnel
A as submitted. Paul

764
01:08:54,480 --> 01:09:01,560
and Carol. Any questions or comments on
this? All those in favor?

765
01:09:02,000 --> 01:09:06,759
And then Yeah. and two abstensions.

766
01:09:08,239 --> 01:09:15,040
Next, we have personnel B. Do I have a
motion to accept personnel B as

767
01:09:12,799 --> 01:09:19,679
submitted?
Mark

768
01:09:16,560 --> 01:09:24,319
Paul. Any questions or comment? All
those in favor?

769
01:09:22,080 --> 01:09:27,520
Okay, that's unanimous. Thank you. Next,
we have administrative personnel report

770
01:09:26,000 --> 01:09:32,560
C. Do I have a motion to place that
before us?

771
01:09:30,640 --> 01:09:35,560
Paul and Mark, any questions or
comments?

772
01:09:41,920 --> 01:09:48,880
As I've said before to this board, I
feel sorry for the Fizzad teachers in

773
01:09:46,799 --> 01:09:56,719
this district. They really had not have
leadership since Tom Tatum left. And

774
01:09:53,040 --> 01:10:02,560
having uh Lindsay um the principal at at
at Allen or at Smith, she's wonderful.

775
01:10:00,159 --> 01:10:10,239
she's vis but I feel it takes away from
the kids at Smith Road. Many um

776
01:10:07,520 --> 01:10:14,960
students with learning needs in that
school and I'll tell I'm going to tell

777
01:10:12,480 --> 01:10:18,800
the administration right now I will not
vote for another administrator to be in

778
01:10:16,800 --> 01:10:23,760
that building. She's going to be out of
that building. She she's involved in MST

779
01:10:21,760 --> 01:10:28,640
if maybe you took her off that. She's
got to go meet with every fizz teacher

780
01:10:25,600 --> 01:10:33,840
in every building in our school district
and be in charge of a school. It is too

781
01:10:31,040 --> 01:10:39,360
much. It is too much and I can't. And
then losing um a young man from this

782
01:10:37,360 --> 01:10:43,360
school district and I I don't want to
know why

783
01:10:41,120 --> 01:10:47,920
graduated from this school district and
he's not going bumped up. He's going to

784
01:10:45,600 --> 01:10:55,520
a job that is the same. That concerns
me. So, I'll be voting no.

785
01:10:51,920 --> 01:10:58,520
All those in favor?
Opposed?

786
01:10:59,040 --> 01:11:07,520
Okay. Motion carries. Thank you.
Next, I will move for a um motion to

787
01:11:06,080 --> 01:11:10,800
move into executive session for the
purpose of reviewing one personnel

788
01:11:08,960 --> 01:11:17,280
matter with no action to follow. Do I
have a second?

789
01:11:12,880 --> 01:11:21,480
Cheryl, any questions? All those
unanimous. Thank you very much

790
01:11:18,480 --> 01:11:21,480
everybody.