Huntington School Board Notes
At their meeting Monday night, Huntington School Board members accepted a $1,000 donation from the Ancient Order of Hibernians in recognition of the Blue Devil marching band’s participation in this year’s St. Patrick’s Day parade. The event involved thousands of marchers, dozens of bands and several hundred vehicles, including spectacular antique fire trucks. A crowd numbering in the tens of thousands turned out to watch the parade.
The Blue Devil band stopped in front of Connell Funeral Home on New York Avenue to pay tribute to longtime supporter Mark Kuhn who passed away earlier in the week after a courageous battle with ALS. Mr. Kuhn’s children, Paige and Ben, are Huntington High School graduates and band program alumnae.
Blue Devil band members played the Irish folk ballad “Danny Boy” as mourners emerged from Connell’s to watch. Mr. Kuhn was an active member of the Band Parents’ Assn. and never failed to pitch in and lend a hand whenever his assistance was needed. He was also a very talented artist and musician and frequently attended Blue Devil band rehearsals.
Mr. Kuhn was well-known for creating artistic masks that were used as decorations at annual band pancake fundraising breakfasts. “Mark Kuhn made a difference in all our lives and his spirit and art will live on,” said Suzanne Kiesel, former Band Parent Assn. president.
Trustees also approved School Board President Bill Dwyer’s attendance at New York State School Boards Assn. conference on April 30 in Garden City on “School District Obligations under the Open Meetings Law: Fact and Fiction.”
Three budget transfers were approved to cover costs associated with a conference at the Melville Marriott on limited English proficient/English language learner students ($50), a speech therapist to screen students at kindergarten registration ($2,000) and registration fees for the 2009 high school marching band field conference schedule ($1,500).
Trustees also took the following actions:
- Approved a child care related leave of absence for Flower Hill School teacher Kristen Kopf, effective March 24 – June 26.
- Approved annual district election personnel including chief inspector Catherine Bender and election clerks Margaret Florio, Kathleen Jost and Ann Rotella. Ms. Bender and Ms. Florio will be paid $30 per hour and Ms. Jost and Ms. Rotella will earn stipends of 10.50 per hour. The budget vote and trustee election is scheduled for Tuesday, May 19 at Huntington High School from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Authorized Estelle Smith, John Hagen, Heather Freidank, Valerie Anderson-Byrne, Maria Peregudova, Fernanda Marmo-McAuley and Urte Goldstein to work as per diem substitute teachers at a rate of $90 per day.
- Approved a long-term substitute appointment for Valerie Anderson-Byrne who will work as an ESL teacher at Southdown School through June 26.
- Added Nicole Nobile to the substitute teacher aide list. She will be paid $8.75 per hour when she works.
- Approved a contracts with Jim and Minday Dragovich for $100 each, respectively, to provide a band clinic for students at Woodhull Intermediate School.
- Approved a contract with the Rochester, NY-based Discipline Associates d/b/a Teacher Learner Center for $500 to provide a 2-hour workshop offered through the Huntington Teacher Center.
- Approved a joint municipal cooperative bidding resolution to allow for the Huntington School District’s participation in any such cooperative bids produced by Eastern Suffolk BOCES.
- Authorized disposal of a Sylvania VHS machine and a Sharp VCR 4-head mid-drive that are beyond repair.
- Approved a side letter to a contract with the bargaining unit representing district security guards related to security services provided on buses carrying Huntington students traveling to and from BOCES Wilson Tech.
- Awarded a bid to Sax Arts and Crafts for a Skutt kiln in the amount of $3,000.
- Awarded a bid to National Educational Music Company for two Yamaha alto saxophones in the amount of $1,322 each.
- Approved the annual sixth grade outdoor education trip to Camp Greenkill in Huguenot, NY.
- Authorized special education teacher Dana Aboulafia to receive mileage reimbursement for job related travel between school buildings.
- Approved Wanda Gonzalez, Tedra Wilson, Tamika Wilson and Shirley Tam to provide testing services at the annual kindergarten registration. They will each be paid $90 per day, respectively, which will be covered by a Title III grant.
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