Knowledge of School Policy Connections

ITUFSD Board of Education Meeting 10/23/19

Last week I had the opportunity to go back to my old school district, Island Trees, to sit-in on a Board of Ed meeting. I had never been to a meeting before this, so I definitely got a better idea of what actually goes on at a Board of Education meeting. 

The first order of business at the meeting was to have several committees from the district come forward and share letters of appreciation because last week was NYS School Board Recognition Week! The Principal’s Association, Teacher’s Association, Clerical Unit, Teacher Aides’ Unit, and PTA leaders all came forward to share their appreciation for all of the time and effort they put into a job with no pay just for the sake of the students in the district. I thought that this kicked off the meeting with a nice, happy mood. 

Next, a member of the Administrative team presented a teacher with a Tenure Award, in which they were proposing to the Board that she deserved tenure. Before the vote, it seemed clear that she would be approved for tenure so they gave her balloons and a certificate and had a photo opportunity. It was such a sweet moment as she seemed so excited and her coworkers and family were overjoyed. She is a special ed teacher who was described as being very helpful, passionate, caring, and effective in her classroom. During the “Action Items” part of the meeting, the Board voted unanimously to approve of her tenure. The whole audience and Board took a moment to clap and cheer for her once again. So sweet!

Island Trees School District. IT Logo [digital image].

Since no visitors needed to address the Board, the next step was to start votes on “Action Items.” The subjects ranged from approving budgets to field trips to the school musical. One interesting item was a budget transfer from the Special Education BOCES Tuition Code to the Special Education Private Tuition Code to accommodate a student’s change in placement. Another intriguing item was the banning of an unnamed individual from District Property. I did not realize that this was a matter that the Board of Ed decided on, and they were not allowed to give any further details on who the person was/why they were to be banned, but all unanimously approved. 

I actually enjoyed going to this Board of Ed meeting. It was really interesting to see how the Board votes on so many topics that range in importance and scope. For instance, some votes were to approve of the disposal of extra supplies in the kitchens and an extra soccer goal on the turf. Those are not super important and don’t directly affect the lives of students. However, the budget votes and votes on student activities such as trips to Dorney Park or Six Flags hold more importance and will impact the students. I had no idea that those were Board of Ed decisions, but it does make more sense now that I witnessed the meeting. I was surprised to see the number of people at the meeting, too. There were about 30 parents on one side and about 20 faculty and administrators on the other. I thought there would be way fewer people there, but I guess it goes to show that our small district really cares about these sorts of issues. Like I said earlier, the mood in the room was so calm and comfortable and even happy, which I truly did not expect. I thought it would be boring or tense since the Board was voting on important issues, but it really was pleasant.

I definitely noticed that the Board voted unanimously on all issues, so they must have met several times before this meeting to discuss the items. I wonder if they really ever all disagree on some items, and what they do when that case arises. They were also very well-rehearsed, which I assume is because they have all been members of the Board for one or more years. They were very efficient with timing and knew what needed to be said.

Overall, the meeting was very informative and interesting, and it made me happy to see that the members and audience enjoyed being there to discuss our district.


Island Trees School District. IT Logo [digital image]. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiH1Iz20r3lAhUF01kKHYAzCJIQjRx6BAgBEAQ&url=%2Furl%3Fsa%3Di%26source%3Dimages%26cd%3D%26ved%3D%26url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Flevittown-tribune.com%252F2019%252F06%252F21%252Fisland-trees-high-school-j-fred-sparke-elementary-school-recognized-by-state%252F%26psig%3DAOvVaw3rvRb8PP5dF7S5_bwGg-We%26ust%3D1572307028901091&psig=AOvVaw3rvRb8PP5dF7S5_bwGg-We&ust=1572307028901091