Last week’s Board of Education meeting was a happy one
As reported last week, the HF-FMCSD 2023-24 budget vote passed 325-145 on May 16. And, Trish Kinney got 299 votes, Gabe O’Connell got 298 votes, and Faith Aprilante got 258 votes to win the three three-year seats on the Board of Education. Also on the ballot were Christine McCormick and Monique Wolf, who both fell short in the polling.
But what you didn’t read last week, because it was announced at Thursday’s Board meeting, was that there were four others — three living and one deceased — who got single write-in votes at the polls.
Ned Kopald, who is a current board member and chose not to run again, got a vote. Former board member Pat Flynn got a vote. Highland Falls’ Jeff Gathers got a vote.
And, the deceased person who got a vote was none other than former U.S. President Richard M. Nixon!
That may have been the funniest moment of last week’s board meeting, but it wasn’t necessarily the happiest.
An early piece of business was to appoint a new principal for the Fort Montgomery Elementary School. Jacqueline Rodriguez will begin work at the building’s full time principal on July 1, at an annual salary of $122,000. Rodriguez was at the meeting, and called herself a “lifelong learner” when she spoke briefly, thanking the board for their trust in her to run the FMES.
“I will do whatever I need to to help our children succeed,” she said, noting she will have a strong focus on literacy in her role as principal.
She replaces Rachel Adelstein, who is moving, also on July 1, to the assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction and technology position.
Rodriguez holds New York State certifications as a ‘School Building Leader’ and ‘Professional English To Speakers of Other Languages’.
In other happy moments, five district employees were granted tenure.
Jill Neziri
“She has served the district with distinction and demonstrated a passion for English, research and technology, for connecting with students and for being a devoted and hard-working colleague at Highland Falls-Fort Mont-gomery Schools; and extends herself to students and the district through extracurricular activities, through her desire to mentor young people, and through her determination to connect with every student she meets.”
Brent Stapleton
“He has served with distinction and demonstrates a passion for English, exploring social values, for connecting with students and for being a devoted and hard-working colleague at Highland Falls-Fort Montgomery Schools; and extends himself to students and the district through extracurricular activities, through his furtherance of district initiatives relating to school climate and culture, and through his determination to connect with every student he meets.”
Dezraia Brown
“She has created a warm and welcoming learning environment; and demonstrated the highest teaching standard at Highland Falls-Fort Mont-gomery Schools in the area of Special Education; and is a reflective and thoughtful practitioner, dedicated to her students. Her engaging classroom presence, exchange of best practices and a lifelong love of learning are noteworthy.”
Christina Granata
“She has created a warm and welcoming learning environment and demonstrated the highest teaching standard at Highland Falls-Fort Mont-gomery Schools in the area of Early Childhood Education; and is a reflective and thoughtful practitioner, and dedicated to her students. Her willingness to grow, learn, and share input is remarkable.”
Huma Imtiaz
“As a school psychologist she creates a sense of community and belonging throughout the school building; and has continually used her knowledge and experience to meet the needs of the students of the Highland Falls Intermediate School by helping them find a balance between their social-emotional well-being, their academic pursuits, and assisting their families in acclimating to the culture and practices of the intermediate school. She appreciates the importance of being proactive in initiatives, showing collegiality, and responding passionately to the needs of hundreds of students over the past three years.”
