It was an evening of recognitions during the district’s Board of Education meeting on Oct. 18 where students, staff and the Board of Education were honored.

Lynbrook High School music students Leo Glassman, Cally Issidoridis, John Krendel, Zachary Leder, Anthony Longo, Daniel Marzari and Samantha Rizzo were congratulated for being selected to perform at the upcoming NYSSMA All-State Winter Conference, making this a record number of participants for the district. High school senior Brian Shea was also recognized for being an upstander in the school community. 

In addition, West End Elementary School science teacher Annmarie Roth was honored for receiving the Anton Banko Award for Excellence in Teaching Elementary Science from the Science Teachers Association of New York State. Marion Street Elementary School secretary Marie Artuso was also praised for her 13 years of service to the district and received a plaque for her upcoming retirement. 

In honor of School Board Appreciation Month, board members were presented with a special thank you from Lynbrook North and South middle schools. Singing to the tune of “Goodnight Sweetheart, Goodnight,” chorus students performed “Thank You School Board” during the meeting. They then gifted each board member with a framed copy of the lyrics. 

Trustee Ellen Marcus provided a positive report from the audit committee and Board Vice President Lesli Deninno presented an update from the facilities committee. This included recommendations from new Facilities Director James Saitta regarding potential staffing and equipment additions based on a survey of surrounding districts.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Melissa Burak conducted her Superintendent’s Report, announcing the PTA joint council meeting on Oct. 24 with guest speaker Scott Fried and the districtwide Unity Day on Oct. 25. 

Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Gerald Beleckas provided a curriculum update from the new Regents committee regarding the current weight of Regents exam grades on grade point averages. Through surveys from neighboring districts and research, the committee discussed the possibility of changing the weight of the exams. Beleckas reported that the committee recommended a change of 15 percent and a discussion took place between the board and community members. Administrators plan to deliberate the opinions that were expressed and come to a solution. 

Dr. Burak thanked the community for their support on the recent bond vote, which was passed on Oct. 3 and spoke about the next steps. Administrators met with the architect to discuss a timeline to get the plans up to the State. They also submitted the letters of intent and project numbers were already received. Dr. Burak hopes the smaller projects will be up to the State by January of 2018. More details are being discussed on the high school additions but the district plans to have that information to the State in a year from now. Once the bond work begins, monthly updates will be presented to the community. 

In addition, Assistant Superintendent for Finance, Operations and Information Systems Dr. Paul Lynch provided a capital projects update. This included putting the final touches on the boilers in the middle schools and the completed boys’ bathroom at North Middle School. Dr. Lynch reported that the West End brick pointing and Waverly Park boiler is currently being reviewed at New York State and that the district has 23 pending projects because of the bond approval and Smart Bond. He also provided an update on Smart Bond, reporting that Lynbrook is one of 96 districts in New York State under expenditure review.