Lake Placid Central School District board approves minor code changes, names new middle–high principal and accepts scholarships

The Lake Placid Central School District Board of Education reviewed and approved minor edits to its code of conduct and conducted routine year‑end business at its June meeting.

Superintendent Tim Seymour presented two recommended changes that the district’s code‑of‑conduct committee had proposed after an annual review: replacing phrasing that suggested students with disabilities “enjoy” certain rights with wording that clarifies those protections are legal entitlements, and extending the existing guest‑clearance procedure (previously described for prom) to all dances for students in grades 9–12. “These aren’t things that they enjoy. They’re things that they are legally entitled to,” Seymour said as he described the wording change.

The revisions were moved as part of the consent agenda (policy second reading/adoption listed as item 8F) and were approved by the board as presented (consent agenda vote recorded in the meeting; specific roll call for the consent package was not read into the transcript).

Budget and finance reports signaled routine year‑end positions. Miss Wood told the board the budget performance report (as of June 12) showed the district roughly 86–90% through the fiscal year on expenses, with revenues lagging by about 7%. She highlighted that charges for services were about $115,000 above budget, driven largely by out‑of‑district tuition and rental‑property income (rent budgeted at $10,000, actual ~ $31,000; tuition budgeted at $10,000, actual ~ $21,000). “When you look at those two categories…we exceeded what we budgeted,” Miss Wood said, adding that overall fund balances remained healthy as the fiscal year closed.

Treasurer Dana reported routine cash management activity, including transfers to cover the final payroll cycle and a movement of reserve funds into operating accounts.

In personnel business the board approved the appointment of Sarah Allen as principal of the middle and high school, effective July 1, 2026, with a probationary period through June 20, 2027, and a 2026–27 salary set at $111,000. Board members welcomed Allen at the meeting.

The board also adopted a resolution recognizing student board member William (Will) Brooks for his service during the 2025–26 school year.

Donations and scholarship awards were accepted under board policy 6255. The board accepted a $5,000 check for the John and Patricia Hopinson Scholarship Fund for Environmental Science; gifts totaling $45,750 from the Adirondack Foundation designated to named scholarships; and $44,300 from the Caroline and Sergey Lucy Fund at the Adirondack Community Foundation to support a middle‑school trip to Washington, D.C. The transcript records motions and subsequent votes on these acceptances (for at least one donation vote the tally was five yes, one abstention by John Hopinson).

Operations and safety updates included continued use of consultant Alteras to maintain and revise the district safety plan, work to correct a missed door‑contact and add cameras to blind spots, and plans to produce laminated schematics of school layouts for first responders. The board discussed capital work including replacement of several HVAC units (six electric heat/AC units for an elementary wing; quotes under review) and a proposed gated parking lot with badge/keypad access integrated with staff badges to control access while avoiding charging families for typical school events; after‑hours event parking could remain a revenue source.

Superintendent Seymour also highlighted student learning projects and community partnerships: AP biology students conducted soil testing in collaboration with Cornell and Paul Smith College and received support from the Eli Foundation to continue that work; greenhouse/Stream program students grew roughly 70 pounds of produce this year, much of which was used by the cafeteria or donated to local families; and district leaders toured the Lake Placid Center for the Arts expansion and the Horseshoe Grounds emergency site enhancements.

The meeting concluded with reminders about the board self‑evaluation deadline (extended to June 30) and the next organizational meeting in mid‑July.