East Rockaway Board approves consent agenda, moves to executive session on teachers’ contract talks

The East Rockaway Board of Education voted to adopt a consent agenda and then entered an executive session to discuss contract negotiations with the teachers union after a special meeting called to order at 5:34 p.m. on Jan. 24, 2025.

The chair told the board, "Be it hereby resolved that the Board of Education creates a consent agenda with the following items, recommendation of superintendent's personnel schedules, items 3a through e, and other items 4a." The board approved the consent agenda in two recorded motions: the first motion was moved by Mrs. Salupo and seconded by Mrs. Boyle and was approved after the chair called for the vote; a subsequent motion to accept the consent agenda was moved by Mrs. Doyle and seconded by Mr. Lawrence and also passed.

The chair described the session as a procedural work session that had been rescheduled from Tuesday because several board members could not attend, and then announced that the board would "go into executive session to discuss contract negotiations for the teachers union." The chair said there would be no further formal action after the executive session at that meeting.

A motion to adjourn was moved by Mr. Lawrence, seconded by Mrs. Lonergan and approved; the chair closed the public portion of the meeting and said the board would move immediately into executive session to continue contract negotiations in private. The board confirmed the next regular meeting date as Feb. 11, 2025.

The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and otherwise contained only routine procedural business; the transcript records no votes on collective-bargaining terms and no public debate on the teachers contract during the portion of the meeting held in public.