Malverne School Board Agenda: Jan. 8

The 2013-2014 school budget, New York State mandates and use of district facilities will be among the major topics explored at Tuesday night's meeting of the Malverne Board of Education.

The Jan. 8 business meeting, which is open to the public, will commence at 8 p.m. in the Malverne High School library.

According to the agenda, which is posted above, Superintendent James Hunderfund and the school board plan to honor Malverne teacher Donna Banek for receiving the Excellence in Science Teaching Award.

Then, there will be two presentations. The first one will focus on the challenges the district is facing as it crafts its budget for the 2013-2014 school year. (Click here to see what was discussed at last month's budget forum.) The next presentation will be a progress report on state mandates.

The board also plans to vote on one leave of absence and eight faculty appointments, as well as a resolution pertaining to litigation against one of the contractors who worked on the recent renovations at Davison Avenue Primary School. (The contractor -- JNS Heating Services -- had walked away from the project before completing the work for undisclosed reasons, but was later convinced to return to finish so the school could open this past September.)

If the board approves the resolution, it would authorize and direct the district’s general counsel, Frazer & Feldman, LLP, "to take all appropriate steps and actions necessary to defend and/or prosecute the district’s interests, rights, claims and remedies in response to a Notice of Claim filed against the District by JNS Heating Services, Inc., in connection with a contract for mechanical work at Davison Avenue Elementary School, and in any subsequent litigation on said matter before a court or tribunal of competent jurisdiction." 

According to the agenda, there will also be a second reading of a revised policy pertaining to use of the district's buildings, including its sports fields, which have been a source of conflict among community groups. This reading was postponed last month because the meeting ended prematurely.