Board delegates record mixed votes on New York State School Boards Association resolutions; board also approves routine business

Fulton City School district delegates reviewed and recorded positions on more than 30 New York State School Boards Association (NYSBA/NISPA) resolutions during a board meeting; the board then handled routine business including accepting August financials, a donation, disposal of surplus property and a revision to the school resource officer (SRO) agreement.

The board heard a line-by-line readout of the N ISBA resolutions and each delegate vote. Delegates debated several resolutions before adopting district positions that the board’s delegates will carry to the NYSSBA/NISPA business meeting. Nick, the district delegate, said he and a second delegate will attend the association meeting and “cast our vote based on the majority.”

Board members flagged several resolutions for discussion before recording the district’s position. Several items drew extended comments: a resolution opposing expansion of mayoral control (confusion about intent led one member to say she had misread the wording), a proposal to reduce annual lockdown drills from four to two, a proposal to allow daily recess time to count toward required elementary instructional hours, opposition to statewide tuition tax credits or vouchers that benefit private/parochial schools, a proposal to reform legal notice publication requirements, and a resolution asking for removal of certain heavy metals and bioengineered ingredients from school meals. Delegates and board members often noted that some resolutions were viewed as outside the state association’s scope or would create fiscal or operational burdens if advanced.

Votes at a glance (select resolutions, district position, vote count reported by the district delegates/board): - Resolution 1 (oppose expansion of…