Sent via SchoolMessenger on December 2, 2022
Board of Education President Dana Stilley, Ph.D., along with Board members Steven Finn, Steven Peña and David Sansone, accompanied Superintendent of Schools Robert Pritchard, Ed.D. as he visited South Orangetown schools to bid an official farewell on November 22.
“We really wanted you to know that you have made such a significant difference in the lives of our students and families over the past seven-and-a-half years and to thank you,” S
tilley said. “We hope that you embrace this next step of your life and wish you the best.”
Board Work in Progress
Interim Superintendent: Last night, the Board of Education named Ileana Eckert as Interim Superintendent of Schools, effective January 1, 2023 through June 30, 2023. Read the full announcement which was emailed to the school district community this morning.
Superintendent Search: At its November 17 meeting, the Board of Education adopted position specifications for its superintendent search following a report by School Leadership LLC. The online application for the position opened on November 21.
“One of the most important charges of a board of education is the hiring and evaluation of the superintendent,” stated Stilley. “This is a responsibility that we take very seriously and we deeply appreciate that so many of our students, parents, staff and community members chose to contribute to this process.”
Additional information, including the anticipated search timeline, is posted on the Superintendent Search webpage.
Budget Development: Interim School Business Administrator Greg Kern provided the Board with an overview of the 2023-24 budget development process at the November 17 meeting and presented on long-range financial planning last night.
Anticipated timeline for presentations to the Board of Education:
- December 15, 2022: Strategic planning guidance for the 2023-24 budget development process
- January 26, 2023: Budget development and process overview
- February 9, 2023: Estimated revenue and tax levy limit calculation
- March 2, 2023: Strategic plan/guiding principles, revenue and appropriations overview
- March 28, 2023: Draft budget review, budget originator summaries
- April TBD: Revised budget review (if needed)
- April 18, 2023: Budget adoption
- May 9, 2023: Public budget hearing
- May 16, 2023: Budget vote
School Goals: South Orangetown Middle School and Tappan Zee High School administrators presented ongoing and new efforts aligned with New York State’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) indicators: chronic absenteeism, academic readiness, school climate and college career and civic readiness. To learn more about ESSA, view the New York State Education Department’s ESSA Fact Sheet for Parents.
Energy Performance Contract: The District’s architectural consultants presented their report assessing the potential benefits of an Energy Performance Contract aligned with the District’s Capital Improvements Bond project at the November 3 Board meeting. The next step is for the Board to decide whether to move forward with issuing a request for proposals (at no cost to the District) or to suspend further consideration of an EPC at this time.
Upcoming Meetings/Workshops
Board of Education Meeting
December 15 at 7:30PM
South Orangetown Middle School Library
Please note that meeting dates, times and locations are subject to change. Be sure to check the District’s e-Backpack webpage for the most up-to-date information.
Additional Resources
Board meeting agendas, minutes and audio are posted online at BoardDocs.
Board policies are posted online at BoardPolicyOnline.
Questions? Send an email to the entire Board of Education at feedback@socsd.org.
The Board Brief is a monthly communication from the South Orangetown Central School District Board of Education.