December 15, 2025 - Board Brief
December 15, 2025 - Board of Education Meeting
Last night’s Board of Education meeting marked the final session before the Holiday Recess, with the Board not scheduled to reconvene until the new year. While the meeting was relatively brief, the Board accomplished an important piece of business by approving the 2026–2027 School Calendar. This early adoption, provides families, staff, and the wider school community with valuable time to plan for the year ahead, from organizing schedules to preparing for upcoming programs and events 📆
Dr. McKersie's Superintendent Report showcased engaging learning across all three schools—from Hillside students beginning Year 5 of Dr. McKersie's Read-Aloud visits to ignite a love of reading, to FMS students donning PTSA-funded “Bee a Buddy” sweatshirts to promote kindness and community, to Hastings High School students in Foundation Media Arts exploring atmospheric perspective in Adobe Illustrator and bringing their landscapes to life as paper sculptures. These moments highlight our students’ creativity, collaboration, and commitment to learning 🌟.
Maureen Caraballo provided an update on the Capital Bond, reporting that the Farragut masonry restoration and Burke Field projects have been submitted to the State and recently underwent a detailed page-turn review. The review focused on both field design details and critical infrastructure work, which is essential for maintaining older buildings 🏫. Regarding the return to the Farragut Wing, strong progress continues, with upper floors largely complete and systems installed, and technology installation underway. Maureen noted that some unforeseen, pre-existing conditions were discovered during construction, which may result in additional change orders, but overall the projects are moving forward as planned. Dr. McKersie provided a verbal outline of the tentative “move back” plan, which is being finalized with Dan Waldeck and Lauren Iorio. As of now, we will not need to use any Inclement Weather Days for the move. In addition, Dr. McKersie shared the good news that per consultation with NYSED we will not lose Inclement Weather Days for the two emergency evacuations (September 4, 2025 & December 5, 2025)🏗️📋.
The next Board of Education meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 13, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. in the Hillside Multi-Purpose Room. Andy Clayman, Tara Ware, Dan Waldeck, and Lauren Iorio will provide an update on the Distraction-Free School Initiative 📵.
🎥 Missed the meeting? Watch the full recording, including all presentations and discussions HERE.