Story by Shelley R. Clapper

      The Florida School Board met on Thurs., Aug. 24 at the S.S. Seward Memorial Building. Board members present at the meeting were John T. Redman II, Timothy Beattie, Meg Sgombick, Howard Cohen, and Mathew Mulhare.

      The meeting began with a presentation by a group of incoming high school seniors. The students attended the meeting to request permission to plan a senior class trip to Disney World in Orlando, FL from Fri., Apr. 13 to Mon., Apr. 16, 2018. Senior Liam Quattrocchi explained that the seniors’ fundraising  will cover the cost of meals and travelling.

      Board Vice President Timothy Beattie responded saying, “We are lucky that we have had such responsible chaperones in the past few years.”

      There needs to be one chaperone for every ten students and it is estimated that approximately 30 students out of a class of 44 students will go on the trip. The motion passed later in the meeting to approve the senior trip.

Superintendent’s Report

      Superintendent Jan Jehring said, “We are excited and ready to get going,” regarding the new school year. “Our sports teams are practicing already and the buildings are ready.”

Co-curricular Advisorships

      A motion passed to accept the recommendation of the Superintendent and approve the co-curricular appointments for 2017-18 school year for following clubs: Art, Chess, Cooking, Debating, Diversity, Drama, French, Golf, Music, Science, Ski, Spanish, Video and Volleyball, Youth in Government, Science Research, School bank, Student Council, Pep Band, National Honor Society, Literary Club, Odyssey of the Mind Coordinator, Newspaper, and others.

Tax Rate

      A motion passed to adopt the tax levy for the 2017-18 school year in the amount of $14,633,509 for the school and $443,940 for the library. The tax rate for homes in the Town of Warwick per $1,000 of assessed value is $180.01 for the school and $5.46 for the library. The tax rate for homes in the Town of Goshen per $1,000 of assessed value is $41.54 for the school and $1.26 for the library.

Certification of a Title

      A motion passed to execute an agreement in lieu of an appointment to probation on behalf of the School District with Kerry Boylan, who holds a Students with Disabilities (grades one to six) Internship Certificate, whereby Ms. Boylan shall perform services as a special education teacher for the school district, for the period commencing Sept. 5, 2017 and terminating on or before Jun. 30, 2018. The Board explained that this was a certification of a title for a self-contained classroom at Golden Hill Elementary School.

Next Board Meeting 

      The Board will hold a work session on Thurs., Sept. 21 at 7 p.m., followed by the regular Board meeting at 7:30 p.m. at the S.S. Seward Memorial Building, located at 51 N. Main St. in Florida.

Florida seniors Liam Quattrocci (left) & Mat Mulhare attended the Board meeting on Thurs., Aug. 24 to present plans for a senior trip in April. Photo credit: Warwick Valley Dispatch/Shelley R. Clapper