The first board meeting of 2026 on Jan. 15 provided updates for finances, positions and Chromebook-use policies.
The meeting opened with a celebration of the efforts put in by school boards across the nation. Several gifts were presented to the board; Warrior kitchen (students who prepare foods for the high school’s student-run catering program) juniors Colton Garcelon, Matea Nguyen and Kaitlyn Staub, along with middle school Family and Consumer Science students, presented treats. The board also received booklets with written pieces of appreciation from several students across grade levels. The covers of these booklets were designed by art students at Southern Elementary.
Several staff members are seeing change next year. Officer Dio Mendez received certification to be armed security within schools and will have an updated job description and wage to match. Math teacher Anne-Marie Falzone received tenure. Fellow math teacher Christopher Newland will take a sabbatical leave for professional development during the 2026-2027 school year. Social studies teacher William Kerr and paraprofessional Patricia McGee will retire at the end of the year.
At the end of last school year, a new policy was introduced to reduce the number of Chromebooks for lower elementary students from one per student to one per every two students. In the grades where the new policy was implemented, a decrease in Chromebook usage was observed by staff. In a survey to K-4 teaching staff, of which 43 responded, 48.8% said that the updated Chromebook policies had a significant negative impact on teacher instruction. 37.2% reported minimal impact and 14% reported no impact. 26 additional comments showed negative staff reception towards the new policy, as noted by assistant superintendent Len Reppert. Administration recommended no change to the current policy.
Funding was approved for materials and professional development for the Project Lead the Way program that many of the district’s engineering courses are based on. Additionally, the school will purchase an addition for Vector Solutions, a professional development software, that will aid parents in learning about special education. The program may also be used to provide even more professional development about artificial intelligence to teachers. Breakfast and lunch prices were approved to remain the same as current prices. All breakfast will continue to cost $1.25 and secondary lunch will continue to cost $2.70.
The board meeting is available on the SYCSD Warrior TV Youtube Channel, or by clicking this link.
