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Niagara Falls City School District board meeting, Sep 24, 2026

2 h 03 min · 0 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 2 h 03 min.

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What happened

What happened at this meeting

Niagara Falls school board approves short-term contracts, hears New York Inspires presentation 3:32

  • A district staff member presented on the state's New York Inspires initiative and the Portrait of a Graduate, describing four transformations, including the role of Regents exams. 3:32
  • The staff member said students must continue taking Regents exams under the current system until a regulatory amendment is passed. 23:16
  • The district's athletic director then presented on the athletic program. 37:42
Item by item (15)
  1. New York Inspires and Portrait of a Graduate 0:15
    • A district staff member said the state plans to move to one New York State diploma beginning with the current 11th graders, with the advanced designation becoming a seal or endorsement. 11:17
    • Nicholas Vilardo asked what the new criteria would be for successfully completing a course, and a staff member said the district would develop rubrics, probably 1 through 4 or 1 through 5. 21:07
    • Jason Zona asked how the changes would be communicated to families, and a staff member listed presentations, a video, emails and department and faculty meetings. 31:34
  2. Athletic program presentation 37:42
    • The athletic director said 28 out of 30 varsity teams are scholar athlete teams. 45:32
    • The athletic director said online athletic registration took the district nurse from approximately 700 physicals in a year to probably less than 15. 55:25
    • Robert Bilson thanked the athletic director as a parent and as a board member. 1:04:42
  3. Agenda review 1:08:18
    • A district staff member reviewed six short-term contracts, including grant-funded and general fund programs. 1:10:43
    • The staff member said cyber insurance rose from $32,000 to $33,500. 1:18:03
    • The staff member said the district has shared a proposal for an endowment of $20 million that would lead to free college for students. 1:20:43
  4. Opening of the meeting 1:30:02
    • Robert Bilson offered opening remarks saying every decision comes back to the students. 1:30:33
    • The clerk called the roll and said all were present. 1:31:37
  5. Recognition of August graduates 1:31:51
    • A staff member said there were 11 August graduates, 4 of whom attended, and the other 7 will still receive their diploma. 1:36:41
  6. Minutes, budget transfer and personnel 1:38:26
    • The board took up the minutes for August 27, 2026, and budget transfer number 2 together. 1:39:02
    • The treasurer's report for August and the budget status report were received and filed. 1:39:30
  7. Special education committee reports 1:40:38
    • The board took up the reports of the Committee on Special Education and the Committee on Preschool Special Education together. 1:40:38
    • The motion carried. ~1:41:03
  8. Short-term contracts 1:41:03
    • The six contracts included Pickleball Kids USA, the Hope Club, Fight Night and Niagara Strikers Bowling. 1:41:03
  9. Head Start report 1:42:00
    • The board took up the report from Head Start and Early Head Start. 1:42:00
    • The report was accepted. ~1:42:20
  10. Special meeting dates 1:42:24
    • The items approved special meetings for October 15th, 2026, and October 29th. 1:42:24
    • The motion carried. ~1:42:56
  11. Program and service contracts 1:43:01
    • The group included contracts with Niagara University for prep level literacy, Early College High School, the Niagara Falls Boys and Girls Club and Game On Entertainment. 1:43:01
    • The motion carried. ~1:44:31
  12. Say Yes, cyber insurance and retirement plan 1:44:33
    • The board took roll call votes on a contract with Say Yes Buffalo, cybersecurity insurance through Right Risk Management and Roth contributions for the 403 retirement plan. 1:44:33
  13. Evolve system subscription 1:46:01
    • The board took up an agreement to purchase a subscription service for the Evolve system. 1:46:01
    • The motion carried. ~1:46:36
  14. Superintendent's report 1:46:38
    • The superintendent said the Saturday Academy would be held Saturday, October 3rd, at Harry F. Abbott, from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM. 1:46:38
    • The superintendent thanked National Grid for replacing a damaged pole at a community field. 1:46:53
  15. Executive session and board comments 1:53:32
    • A staff member said the executive session was needed for pending litigation for 2 CVA cases. 1:53:32
    • Jason Zona said staff did a fantastic job with open houses and orientations during the opening week of school. 1:54:48
    • Kristen M. Grandinetti thanked a staff member for the school opening and care of the sports complex. 1:55:23
    • A speaker said no action was taken. ~2:02:43

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

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Video: posted by the district as “NFCSD Board of Education Meeting - 9/24/2026”