Sachem board votes to opt out of state regionalization plan; several consent items approved

The Sachem Central School District Board of Education on Wednesday adopted a resolution electing not to participate in the state'proposed regionalization plan and approved a series of consent-agenda items, including minutes, personnel actions and contracts.

Board members voted to opt out of the regionalization plan after extended discussion about unknowns in the proposal and a state-imposed decision deadline. The board'passed resolution directs district leadership to notify state officials of the district's election to opt out and preserves language in the district'resolution allowing the district the right to opt back in at a later date.

Board members and staff said the decision came amid continuing uncertainty about how the plan would operate. "We have to make the board has to make a decision by the fifteenth if you wanna opt out," Staff member Chris said, referring to the state deadline. Board members expressed concern that the proposal could centralize control over courses and pathways. "We're afraid that BOCES is going to be centralizing more school districts and taking control," Staff member Mr. Shumba said during the discussion. Board member Cerny added a broader governance concern: "Changes to our educational system in this state of this magnitude should have been debated ... by our elected officials," he said.

The board'discussion emphasized uncertainty about the plan's final language and future state-level changes. Board members noted that many neighboring districts were also choosing to opt out and that the district included language in its resolution to preserve the option to rejoin in the future.

In addition to the regionalization resolution, the board approved routine items by voice vote. Those included approval of the Dec. 18 minutes; multiple business consent items; a personnel consent agenda for teachers; a separate personnel consent agenda for support staff; a contracts consent agenda covering two contracts; approval of the second reading of proposed policy revisions (with a request for a minor typographical correction in policy 43'21); committees on special education consent items; and a motion to enter executive session to discuss a personnel matter.

Votes at a glance

- Resolution: "Sachem Central School District's election not to participate and opt out of development implementation of the regionalization plan." Mover: Miss Astrany. Second: Miss Reynolds. Outcome: approved. District directed staff to submit the opt'out resolution to the state by the stated deadline.

- Approval of minutes (Dec. 18): Mover: Stephanie. Second: Meredith. Outcome: approved.

- Business consent agenda (items a'e): Mover: Miss Cisneros. Second: Stephanie Welby. Outcome: approved.

- Personnel consent agenda (teachers, items a'h): Mover: Miss Reynolds. Second: Miss Baumann. Outcome: approved.

- Personnel consent agenda (support staff, items a'e): Mover: Miss Volpe. Second: Michael Surya. Outcome: approved.

- Contracts consent agenda (items a and b): Mover: Stephanie Volpi. Second: Michael Sernia. Outcome: approved.

- Second reading of policy revisions (multiple policies): Motion made and seconded; board asked staff to correct a typographical item in policy 43'21 (page 13 of 20, section 14.c). Outcome: approved.

- Committees on Special Education consent items: Mover: Matthew Bowman. Outcome: approved.

- Motion to enter executive session to discuss a personnel update: Mover: Stephanie Volley. Second: Matthew Baumann. Outcome: approved.

The board's action on the regionalization resolution requires the district to notify state authorities by the stated deadline (the board was told that decision must be made by the fifteenth). The adopted resolution includes language reserving the district's right to opt back in at a later date, a provision staff said was written into the resolution by Chris's office.

Board members asked staff to continue monitoring state developments, particularly any post-State-of-the-State changes, and promised to provide updates to the board as new information becomes available.

The meeting also included routine reports and recognitions, including an update on athletic-field timing delays tied to state approvals and several curriculum-related events scheduled for January. The board recessed into executive session at the end of the public meeting to discuss a personnel matter that was described in the agenda.