School committee approves bus camera system, appoints assistant principal and adds van-driver MOA; several routine items passed

The North Kingstown School Committee approved several operational items during its Sept. 30 meeting, including a recommendation to buy a cloud‑hosted dual (inside/outside) bus camera system with GPS, the appointment of a Woodford Middle School assistant principal, and a one‑year memorandum of agreement adding a van‑driver job classification to the union contract as a pilot. The committee also approved routine financial reports and the district annual report for the 2024–25 school year.

The camera system purchase was discussed over several minutes by committee members, administration and the district’s IT and transportation supervisors. Jessica “Jess” Bosanko, the district’s IT supervisor, said the proposal includes the physical dash/dual cameras bundled with a cloud license and that the district IT department will handle installation. Transportation supervisor Michelle Hune described the cameras under consideration as a “dual inside and out” product; she said the district is not participating in the state’s stop‑arm automated enforcement program at this time and that the current purchase did not include stop‑arm sensors or stop‑arm citations.

During the discussion, committee members asked about data privacy, police coordination, training and the capital funding source. Bosanko said the vendor meets standard student‑data privacy and encryption requirements and that the solution is not publicly accessible. Leslie Ampal, director of finance, confirmed the purchase fits within previously set‑aside capital funding and that the other planned capital project tied to that appropriation remains on track.

After discussion the committee approved the purchase by voice vote.

The committee unanimously approved the superintendent’s recommendation to appoint Courtney Necropoulos to the position of assistant principal at Woodford Middle School. Dr. Duda introduced Necropoulos at the meeting and praised her 22 years of experience, including middle‑level instructional leadership.

The committee also approved a memorandum of agreement with KESP adding a van‑driver classification to the bargaining unit for a one‑year pilot. The MOA clarifies duties and a finite trial period for the new position; the administration explained the pilot is limited to one title initially because the district currently operates a single home‑to‑school van and the parties wanted to test how the role works in practice.

Other routine items approved included the vacancy report, financial check registers and reconciliations, and the district’s annual report for the 2024–25 school year. Where votes were taken by voice, no roll‑call tallies were provided in the meeting record.

Votes at a glance

- Approve cloud‑hosted dual inside/outside camera system and GPS licensing (vendor proposal): approved (voice vote). Funding: capital general fund appropriation previously set aside. Implementation: district IT to install; timeline—vendor ships within about a week after purchase order; rollout across buses to follow IT schedule.

- Appointment: Courtney Necropoulos, Woodford Middle School assistant principal — approved (voice vote).

- Memorandum of agreement (KESP): add van‑driver classification (one‑year pilot, effective Sept. 30/Oct. 1 as recorded) — approved (voice vote).

- Annual report (2024–25): approved (voice vote). The administration will update the cover copy to read “2024–25” for clarity before distribution.

Decisions listed here reflect motions and outcomes recorded in the public meeting transcript; detailed vote tallies by member name were not provided in the transcript.