The Board of Education (BoE) has had two voting meetings in the past two months: January 24 and February 28. The February 14 meeting was canceled due to a lack of quorum, and the March 15 meeting was canceled because of inclement weather. BoE meetings begin with a public comment session, where any community member can speak, followed by the Representatives to the BoE from IHS and LACS, and subsequently, the consent agenda, where the Board creates resolutions in Executive Session (a private session that the public is not permitted to attend) and passes them by vote during the meeting.
The January 24 meeting began with a special presentation by Mr. Heiland and Ms. Kautz, history teachers in ICSD who discussed their efforts in anti-marginalization and curriculum development for teaching American History. Important steps in their project included land acknowledgment, and “re-centering the narrative” around Indigenous voices. Public comment during this meeting brought up the Varsity Girls’ Ice Hockey team, where three community members expressed their support for the continuation of the hockey team, which will not run this year. They noted that this is a special opportunity for girls and that it is important to continue this program. The BoE responded that while the hockey team was not “cut”, per se, a specific situation of the team meant that it was unable to continue. At the next board meeting, the Board elaborated that they will continue discussions with Samantha Little, the Director of Athletics, about the team.
Student representatives from LACS discussed their mental health day on Monday, January 23, and their regents week. The student representatives from IHS, meanwhile, brought up recent developments at IHS, including the trash can fires and damage to a Driver’s Ed vehicle. They also brought up the distribution of funding for extracurricular activities and athletics, including concerns that student-led clubs are unable to raise enough money for their activities, despite competing at state and national levels. Lastly, they called for an update to the ongoing situation regarding the threats made on a school bus in October, for which a lawsuit is currently in the New York State Supreme Court. District officials, including Superintendent Brown, have been subpoenaed to appear in the case.
The Board responded to the student representatives by noting that the safety plan is constantly being revised and that they have been discussing it at meetings for the past two years. They will not be addressing anything specific to the October situation as of right now, although the BoE did note that community members should expect dialogue planned for the community to review the safety plan. Funding for extracurricular activities, they stated, will be placed on the finance committee meeting agenda for further discussion. Further discussion at this meeting included changes to the code of conduct—including in the sections regarding pocket knives, which the Student Representatives brought up earlier—and some money transfers.
The February 28 board meeting began with a presentation about the Germany trip conducted by the IHS German department, where twenty students from the German program go to Germany for three weeks to experience the culture and improve their language skills. It is available for third-year German students. The Board approved this trip. During public comment, a community member brought up concerns over playgrounds at elementary schools in ICSD. They noted that the Beverly J. Martin playground is underfunded as compared to the other playgrounds in ICSD—there is less grass, less play space, and no large play structures. The community member asked the BoE if it would be possible for the playground to be expanded to include Markles Flats, an area across the street owned by the district. The Board responded that they will work on this and that they would first need a crossing to Markles Flats since it is across the street.
The Student Representatives at the February 28 meeting discussed the future of the desks, tables, and chairs that will no longer be needed due to the redesigns of the ICSD Capital Project. They also brought up concerns with the doors to the J-Building at IHS, which are reversed compared to traffic flow patterns, and the other bathrooms at IHS which are not being redone through the Capital Project, although they are in poor repair. Lastly, the representatives talked about their work in bringing about a leadership summit at IHS for students from different organizations, and heating issues at IHS. They also asked if there was a way for the Board to alleviate the tax burden on those living in Ithaca, and why Cornell pays a lower share of taxes. The Board responded that Cornell pays a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) and that ICSD is not able to make them pay more. ICSD also does not get a lot of state aid, which is another reason why the taxes in Ithaca are higher than in surrounding regions.
Budget and voting meetings of the BoE are open to the public, and those who wish to attend monthly voting meetings should arrive at the Board building around 7 pm, as the Board will likely be in executive session until that time. Additional information including the BoE’s agenda, times of meetings, and more can be found at https://go.boarddocs.com/ny/icsd/Board.nsf/Public#.