Wells Central School Capital Project 99% complete

 WCS BOE October 21 2020

Wells Central School Capital Project 99% complete

By PETE KLEIN

WELLS—When the Wells Central School Board of Education met on October 21, Superintendent Thomas D Sincavage reported the Capital Project is 99% complete and the district is in the process of filing the reports of substantial completion. The District is in the process of scheduling to have the required Building Condition Survey done. This survey will help the district gauge the need for future improvements. The enrollment is currently at 147.

Lastly, Sincavage said, the District was awarded the School Safety Excellence Award Titanium with Honors for the fifth year in a row. This is the highest safety level that the district can achieve.

BUILDING & GROUNDS TOUR

Head Custodian Steve Welch gave the Annual Building & Grounds Tour. Welch started with a slideshow of work that was done for the capital project. He also showed photos of all the work that goes into summer cleaning. Each room is completely taken apart and cleaned from top down. Welch then took the Board on a walk around tour and explained the updates that have been completed.

AUDIT

Jim Amell from Marvin & Company reviewed the Audit with the Board. In their opinion the financial statements were fairly presented, and the audit was given a clean unmodified opinion. The Board was pleased, and the Board accepted the Audit report of the 2019/2020 school year as presented by Marvin and Company on a motion made by Dorman Reese, seconded by William Stuart, and carried 5-0.

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Jeremy J. Siddon reported he has been working closely with Don Gifford, IT Director, to reconfigure the school’s networks. They have created 3 networks, one designated solely for students, one for staff, and one for outside vendors. Siddon has been researching the possibility of securing a 3D printer. He also discussed STAR testing results. The results reflected an average of 3 months of lost instructional time, which is a direct reflection on the spring school closure. The district is implementing a plan to work on improving those skills and closing gaps in learning. The district will also be using Fountas & Pinnell as a testing tool to measure growth. Lastly, he is waiting on guidance from the State for the winter sports season.

APPROVALS

The Board of Education approved the Biannual CSE report on a motion made by Dorman Reese, seconded by Ken Hoffman, and carried 5-0.

The Board approved the following consent agenda items: Approval of the September 16, 2020 Minutes, September Treasurer’s Report, September Warrant 1-30, 2020: General fund - $122,224.47 Federal – $690.64, School Lunch $1,933.45 and T and A - $209,134.63.

On a motion made by Dorman Reese, seconded by Rachel Lauria and carried 5-0.

EXECUTIVE SESSION

After holding an Executive Session, the Board approved the addition of names of Michelle Edwards , Misti Russell, and Rosemary Reo as substitute cleaners, Misti Russell as substitute cafeteria worker, and Rosemary Reo as a non- certified substitute to the 2020/2021 List of Substitutes pending fingerprint clearance.

The Board appointed the following Intramural Soccer Coaches to serve at the will of the Board for the 2020/2021 fall season: Mark Richards and Brian Richards on a motion made by Rachel Lauria, seconded by Dorman Reese, and carried 5-0.

PUBLIC COMMENTS

There was one comment during Public Access. A guest made a comment that at a recent town board meeting the Town of Wells has decided not to do a reassessment at this time. This affects the equalization rate and the school taxes.

This article is based upon the minutes provided by Rachelle Dwyer, District Clerk.