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Hastings-on-Hudson Union Free School District board meeting, date not confirmed yet

3 h 04 min · 6 public speakers

This board doesn’t post agenda times. Click a board member to jump to where they first speak; we list only members whose voice our check named. Video length 3 h 04 min.

  1. Who spoke · first speaks at
What happened

What happened at this meeting

Bond team says Proposition 2 project estimate is at $20 million budget 42:34

  • The board heard a progress report on the capital bond project from its design and construction team, then asked about the age of the trees in front of the new entryway. 16:19
  • A district staff member said an RFP for pre-kindergarten would be issued, with approximately 40 seats and a lottery system anticipated for the first year. 2:05:50
  • Several speakers at public comment raised reading instruction, the 8th grade social studies course, the tree removal and artificial turf. 2:27:16
  • A motion to approve the consent agenda was made and seconded and a voice vote was taken, but no result was announced. 2:40:58

Until Nov 4, lines where a board member takes a side don't name the member. Why →

Item by item (14)
  1. Opening remarks on meeting conduct 8:00
    • The presiding officer opened the meeting and asked attendees to uphold respectful civil discourse. 8:45
    • Theresa McCaffrey said the last board meeting was distressing and disrespectful and that board members were screamed at, heckled and harassed. 10:09
    • Theresa McCaffrey said extra security for the meeting was coming out of the district's operating budget. 11:50
  2. Capital bond progress report 16:19
    • A project architect said about $420,000 of masonry restoration at the Farragut Complex was completed over the summer and about $500,000 of masonry work was deferred. 16:19
    • A presenter said bids for the fields project came in roughly at $5.8 million and the work appeared on track for completion by the end of this year. 36:46
    • A presenter from Triton said the Proposition 1 and Proposition 2 estimate was right at the $20 million budget, with bidding hoped for around January-February and substantial completion anticipated in the fall of 2028. 42:34
  3. Board questions on bond project 48:20
    • A presenter said the front-entrance trees would be removed because building the accessible routes to the entry would damage their root systems, and said the team could circulate its design diagrams. 50:00
    • Speakers at the board table discussed making benches from the tree wood, and a presenter said the bid could require the contractor to deliver the trees back to the school. 51:55
    • A staff member said turf installation was expected to begin in the first 2 weeks of October, and a presenter said the cafeteria skylights were identified as an add alternate. 1:11:49
  4. Student report 1:19:30
    • The student report described a peer leadership retreat and said students watch board meetings, which serve as a model for them. 1:20:56
    • A staff member said students had raised concerns that when norms are not adhered to, it does not feel safe. 1:23:35
  5. Business official report 1:25:48
    • The business official said transportation had a rocky start, with an increase of 20 additional out-of-district students. 1:26:18
    • The business official said an independent testing agency determined that any sediment from the fields construction site was negligible. 1:29:23
    • The business official said health insurance projections indicate double-digit increases and that a 10% increase could mean $800,000. 1:34:22
  6. State diploma changes 1:42:43
    • The assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction said that beginning with students graduating in the '27-'28 school year, New York is moving toward one diploma and students will no longer be required by the state to pass Regents examinations to earn it. 1:43:31
    • A speaker at the board table asked where money for professional development to support the change would come from. 2:01:00
    • One board member said the change is better for teaching and learning. 2:03:12
  7. Literacy pilots and pre-kindergarten 2:05:50
    • A district staff member said Hillside would pilot 2 ELA resources, with Mossflower beginning in late September 2026 and Arts and Letters in January 2027. 2:05:50
    • A district staff member said an RFP for pre-kindergarten would be issued and approximately 40 seats were anticipated; a staff member later said 40 seats could not be guaranteed and a lottery would be used. 2:05:50
    • A staff member said a memo on pre-K logistics would be provided at the next meeting. 2:12:19
  8. Pupil personnel services report 2:17:48
    • The assistant superintendent for pupil personnel services said related services had started for the year and evaluations were now being done digitally. 2:17:57
  9. Public comment rules 2:19:41
    • The presiding officer read Board Policy 1230, which provides a 30-minute public comment period with comments limited to 3 minutes. 2:20:10
  10. Public comment 2:25:37
    • A speaker at public comment asked for increased access to reading instruction and updates to its scope and sequence. 2:27:16
    • A speaker at public comment said they support the school's decision to retain discussion of Gaza in the 8th grade social studies course. 2:30:14
    • A speaker at public comment raised concerns about cutting down old-growth trees and about artificial turf fields, saying the district promised no PFAS and accepted a turf product with PFAS. 2:33:00
  11. Consent agenda 2:40:36
    • The presiding officer asked for a motion to approve the consent agenda, which was moved and seconded before a voice vote. 2:40:58
  12. Second public comment 2:41:12
    • A speaker at public comment said decoding should not be the only entrance to reading instruction and asked to join the ELA committee as a parent stakeholder. 2:42:05
    • A speaker at public comment asked the board to consider planting more trees or a carbon reduction plan and said students were looking forward to the turf. 2:44:15
    • The presiding officer reminded attendees of a joint board meeting with the village trustees on October 20th. 2:47:41
  13. Next meeting agenda review 2:48:32
    • A staff member said the next meeting would include a district performance update and that the pre-K memo would be added as a posted agenda item. 2:48:46
  14. Board comments 2:50:44
    • A board member said they did not want to see the trees cut down and asked that information go to the community explaining why they must be removed. 2:51:15
    • A staff member said a statement would go out explaining that the trees must be removed to provide accessibility. 2:53:41
    • One board member asked about roundtable discussions on the exploring equity curriculum and said the invitations could be de facto exclusive, and a staff member said sessions were set for October 15th and 22nd. 2:57:58

Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.

Other meetings

Other meetings of this board

Video: posted by the district as “Board of Education Meeting - September 23, 2026”