Gina Goodermote Becomes President Of The Berlin School Board

by David Flint
According to the draft minutes of the Berlin Central School District Reorganizational meeting held on July 5, District Clerk Mary Grant convened the meeting and proceeded to administer the Oath of Office to newly elected Board Member Jim Willis and re-elected Board Member Frank Zwack.
Nominations were then entertained for School Board President. Zwack, seconded by Rachel Finney, nominated Gina Goodermote. Alan Webster, Jr. was nominated by Beverly Stewart and John Nash. Goodermote was elected President by paper ballot vote 4-3.
For Vice President, Jim Willis was nominated by Zwack and Goodermote. Webster was nominated by Stewart and Nash. Again the vote was 4-3, in favor of Willis.
Grant then turned the meeting over to President Gina Goodermote.
Zwack and Finney then nominated Willis for Parliamentarian. Stewart and Nash nominated Webster. Willis was elected 4-3.
The Board decided to continue the practice of having two representatives in the office of Legislative Liaison. Rachel Finney and John Nash were unanimously elected.
Mary Grant was appointed as District Clerk at $3,358 per year.
There was some discussion about lack of time to properly review the RFPs for Legal Counsel, with John Nash indicating that he felt the Board may have been poorly served by the current law firm. The Board decided to appoint Whiteman, Osterman & Hanna as Legal Counsel until the August 16 meeting, giving Board members a chance to review the RFPs prior to the meeting on August 11.
The following were appointed by 4-3 votes with Finney, Goodermote, Willis and Zwack voting Yes and Nash, Stewart and Webster voting No:
Treasurer – Sheila Hewitt
Deputy Treas. – Tammy Whitman
School Tax Collector – Tammy Whitman at $6,386 per year
School Physicians – Riverview Pediatrics for student physicals; Dr. John O’Bryan for bus drivers; On-Call Medical Services for all other employees
Comptroller of Extra Classroom Accounts – High School Principal and/or Middle School Principal
Treasurer of Extra Classroom Accounts – Trisha Jansen
Purchasing Agent – William Burke, Business Manager
Alternate Purchasing Agent – Superintendent
External Auditor – The Bonadio Group
Internal Auditor – Rensselaer City School District
Claims Auditor – Janice Grant; Becky Giumarra, Alternate Claims Auditor
S.T.A.C. Designee – Director of Pupil Services
Petty Cash Custodians – William Burke, Gloria Adams
Hearing Officers
Impartial Hearing Officers – James McKeever, James Monk, Christine Moore, Karen Norlander, David Nydick, Kenneth Ritzenberg, Jerome Schad, Judith Schneider, Craig Tessler, Aaron Turetsky, James Walsh, Mindy Wolman, Joseph Woolley, Joel Ziev, Linda Agoston, Joan Alexander, Lynn Almeleh, Stuart Bauchner, Robert Briglio, Jaclyn Brilling, Paul Bumbalo, Diane Cohen, Mary Anne Dimeo, John Farago, Lana Flame, Dolores Freed, Colleen Heinrich, George Kandilakis, Martin Kehoe, Dora Lassinger, Michael Lazan, Nancy Lederman
Title IX Compliance Officer – Jennifer Morris, Director of Pupil Services
Section 504 Coordinator/Compliance Officer – Jennifer Morris, Director of Pupil Services
Committee on Special Education
Pre-School – Chairperson – Director of Pupil Services, Rensselaer County Representative – Ann Hanson, Parent Member – to be determined, Regular Education Teacher of student being reviewed, Parent of student being reviewed
District Committee – Chairperson – Director of Pupil Services, Psychologist – Bruce Weiner, Parent Member – Jane Gazelone,
Regular Education Teacher of student being reviewed, Special Education Teacher of student being reviewed, Parents of student being reviewed, Student, when appropriate
Sub-Committee – Chairperson – Director of Pupil Services and/or Secondary Special Education Coordinator, Regular Education Teacher of student being reviewed, Special Education Teacher of student being reviewed, Parents of student being reviewed, Student, when appropriate
Records Access Officer – William Burke, Business Manager
Records Management Officer – William Burke, Business Manager
Asbestos Designee (LEA) – Cyril Grant, Superintendent of Buildings
Health and Safety Designee – Kellie Kaschak, School Nurse Teacher
MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) Officer – Cyril Grant, Superintendent of Buildings
Privacy Official – William Burke, Business Manager
The Board unanimously approved all the other routine housekeeping items such as official depository banks, newspapers for legal advertising (The Record, Times Union, Berkshire Eagle and Eastwick Press), petty cash funds, authorization for budget transfers, use of credit cards, meeting times, bonding of the Tax Collector and Treasurer, pay for substitutes, mileage reimbursement, extra classroom fund-raisers and activity funds, payroll and check signatories and standard work day hours.