Board approves retirements, appointments and coaches; board stresses certification requirements for volunteers
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Summary
The board accepted retirements and approved a slate of resignations, leaves and appointments, including new coaches and volunteers. Board members reiterated that non‑teacher coaches and volunteers must complete necessary certifications and state submissions before appearing on the agenda.
The Saugerties Central School District board on Wednesday approved a series of personnel items including the announced retirement of long‑time employee Jerry Gardner and multiple coaching appointments and volunteer approvals.
Board members publicly thanked Jerry Gardner for years of service and noted the institutional knowledge being lost with her retirement. The slate of appointments included a new varsity boys wrestling coach, Joe DiPola, and several volunteer positions for athletic programs. The board also approved CSC recommendations and other routine personnel actions.
Certification and process: Board members discussed certification procedures for coaches and volunteers. The board said anyone hired from outside teaching staff must complete multiple certification steps, including temporary certification through the state process and submission to New York State Education (referred to at the meeting as Teach.org) before appearing on the board agenda. Volunteers for athletic programs must likewise complete required certifications and district checks.
Board action: A motion to accept personnel items G1–G3 was moved by Robert Toman and seconded by Dr. Haas; the motion passed by voice vote. Later, board action items I1–I18 (which included many routine approvals) were approved; an item related to fraternization (I19 / policy 6180) was removed from the package and returned to committee.
Quotation: On coach certification, a board member explained: “No one will appear on our agenda unless they have all their certifications in line and have been sent to the state.”
Next steps: The board will continue routine appointment approvals and will require proof of certification before adding external hires to meeting agendas.