Huntington School Board Tackles Business Items
The Huntington School Board tackled an ambitious agenda of business items at the trustees’ first meeting of the new school year. Several dozen bids were awarded, a budget transfer was approved and donations were accepted.
Trustees awarded a one-year contract for large bus service to Huntington Coach Corp. at an increase of 9.5 percent over 2007/08, plus a fuel allowance. The district sent a request for proposal to nine vendors and Huntington Coach was the only one that replied.
The district spent $3.089 million, plus fuel on large bus service during the 2007/08 school year, according to Assistant Superintendent David H. Grackin. “We anticipate this rising to $3.381 million, plus fuel,” he said.
Two budget transfers from one code to another were approved to cover the costs associated with a mailing related to the district’s dual language program ($62.58) and a summer humanities department curriculum writing project by teachers from the intermediate, middle school and high school levels ($1,000). Three teachers will work over a two-day period.
Trustees also took the following actions:
- Renewed a consulting agreement with Whitsons Culinary Group to provide food service program consulting services during the 2008/09 school year.
- Extended a contract with the Huntington Coach Corp. to provide vans for the transportation of students living in the district. The State Education Department set the increase in cost to the district at no more than four percent.
- Approved a stipulation of settlement with the United Public Service Employees Union (UPSEU) representing the district’s aides, monitors and teacher assistants.
- Approved Superintendent John J. Finello’s attendance at the 14th Annual New York State School Boards Association School Law Conference on July 25 in Islandia. Sessions will focus on tenure, conducting proper teacher evaluations, employment/retirement system status of attorneys and other school professionals and the public use of school facilities and resources. The conference will run from 8:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. and cost $210.
- Awarded a bid for vehicle repair to Tilden-Huntington, Inc. with an hourly of $35 and a ten percent discount on parts.
- Awarded a bid for electrical services for the 2008/09 school year to Cavanagh Electric at various hourly rates.
- Awarded a bid for refuse removal to Winters Brothers.
- Accepted a donation from the Huntington Foundation for Excellence in Education in the amount of $1,998 to offset some of the costs associated with the annual sixth grade trip to the Greenkill Outdoor Environmental Education Center.
- Awarded a bid for athletic equipment reconditioning to Riddell/All American of Elyria, Ohio.
- Approved the disposal of obsolete Dell and Compaq computer equipment.
- Awarded a bid for telephone system maintenance to Nu-Vision Technologies.
- Approved $600 of “start-up money” for the cash registers utilized in building cafeterias. Assistant Superintendent David H. Grackin said the district’s “auditors have indicated Board of Education approval is necessary to provide a bank of monies” that the food service program needs to begin the year.
- Awarded a bid for integrated pest management to Bug Fighters Etc., Inc. at an annual fee of $6,144.
- Accepted the donation of a radio telescope from district parent Tom Mazzota to the science department.
- Awarded a bid for the maintenance of kitchen equipment to F.V. Stern & Sons, Inc. with an hourly price for service calls of $85.
- Rejected bids for food and food related products. “Only two vendors responded and one of them had some unacceptable conditions,” Mr. Grackin said.
- Awarded a bid for milk and dairy products to Oak Tree Farm Dairy.
- Awarded bids for music supplies to Cornet Music of Smithtown ($528.40), Gil Breines Music, Ltd. ($1,312.58), Long Island Drum Center ($248.95), Long’s Electronics ($19.90), Sandy Enterprises Inc. ($462.11), Steve Weiss Music ($1,947.86), Frederick H. Weiner Inc. ($5,047.87), Interstate Music Supply ($4,287.87), Rhythm Band Instruments ($70.22), Greenwich Music ($630) and Shar Products Company ($830.23).
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