School board: Music teacher Melissa Meadows resigns

The School Board accepted K-12 music teacher Melissa Meadows’ resignation Monday night at their regular meeting. Her resignation is effective March 30.

School Board President Rebecca Mundy told the Reporter that the school is currently in the process of finding a new music teacher and could hire a new candidate as soon as its February 28 budget workshop.

The district officially hired Meadows at the board’s August 26 meeting. Interim Superintendent Robert Parry said Ms. Meadows impressed the district during her auditions.

That was after the district’s first choice, K-12 music teacher Paul Johnson, resigned less than two weeks before the start of classes. Mr. Johnson was hired by the Shelter Island district after being excessed from the Brentwood school district, but resigned from the Island school after he was  offered his former position in Brentwood.

A phone call to Ms. Meadows asking why she resigned was not returned.

The board approved paying McClave Construction Management, Inc, $29,995 to provide a construction manager to oversee the necessary renovations to the lobby and the FIT Center (for background on the FIT Center, see page 1 story). It’s the same firm the district used for the roof construction, Business Leader Sam Schneider said, “which worked out quite well.”

The FIT Center renovations will cost approximately $120,000 to $140,000, Mr. Schneider explained, which he said could be paid for through a capital fund which is funded by FIT Center fees. The FIT Center will be moved to Saint Gabriel’s Retreat Center during the construction.

The lobby project will cost approximately $150,000 to $160,000. The district hopes to complete both projects this summer, because, as Mr. Schneider explained, the “SED will never grant another building permit for anything we want to do here at all unless we do these repairs.”

Ken Lewis Jr. suggested further exploring building a new FIT Center. “I don’t think there’s enough foresight into what we’re doing here … We’re going to spend $140,000 and I think it’s a waste of the money” to invest in the current building. He continued, “Maybe with some more time and some more revenue generating from the FIT Center, maybe there’s a creative solution where another building is built, a bigger structure.” He suggested an improved building could be built for less than $500,000 “that we could get another 15, 20 years out of.

Board member Kim Reilly agreed with Mr. Lewis that “the space is too small, it makes me worried to pump this kind of money into something like that.” Board member Mark Kanarvogel also suggested exploring a new Fit Center site.

Too late, said School Board President Rebecca Mundy. “This should have been a conversation a long time ago when all this was presented to us.” She said the town would be unlikely to support a new construction project, and that the Project FIT Committee has decided that renovating the current structure is the way to go. Mr. Schneider said building a separate building on school grounds would still have to meet SED codes.

Board member Tom Graffagnino asked if there were an off-site fitness center, what would happen to the students’ access?

“I just don’t think it’s been completely explored to the point where we should explore it,” Mr. Lewis said. Mr. Schneider said if that if the board does decide not to do the FIT Center renovations this summer, the district can renegotiate the contract with McClave.

Mr. Parry reminded the board that the project is already out to bid and that bids are scheduled to be awarded March 2. “You can do anything you want to put a stop to that process, but you’ve already invested some money in the architectural drawings. … It’s not the ninth inning, but it’s the seventh inning.”

The board cast its vote for board member Stephen Gessner for a position on the Eastern Suffolk BOCES Board. Each school district that is a member in Eastern Suffolk BOCES gets one vote. Mr. Gessner told the Reporter that even if he is elected to the position, he will continue on as a Shelter Island School Board member. “Thank you all, I appreciate your support,” he told the board.

The board also took the following actions, among others:

• Approved the tenure recommendation of grade 7-12 social studies teacher Peter Miedema.

• Approved paying Audrey Pedersen and Peter Miedema $59.20 per hour for up to $236.80 each for four hours of home instruction each.

• Approved Logan Kingston to move from Step 6 MA to Step 6 MA+15 on the salary schedule.

• Approved the use of the administration building of Saint Gabriel’s Retreat Center for use for summer instruction. The district will pay only the cost of utilities and housekeeping.