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Port Washington Union Free School District board meeting, Sep 17, 2026

3 h 50 min · 3 public speakers

Chronic absenteeism ▶ 2:09:03AI in schools ▶ 2:04:48Phones in school ▶ 2:32:43Reading and test scores ▶ 1:58:14

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 50 min.

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What happened

What happened at this meeting

Port Washington board adopts student personal electronic devices policy on 7⁠-⁠0 vote 3:15:33

  • A district staff member presented six district priorities for the year, Deborah Brooks asked about a drop in reading proficiency, and Jessica Melwani asked how the district would evaluate its SEL programs. 1:41:01
  • The board voted 7⁠-⁠0 to adopt Policy 5695 on students and personal electronic devices after Rachel Gilliar and Deborah Brooks raised questions about the accompanying regulations. 3:15:33
  • Board members discussed moving oversight of the code of conduct from a code committee to the policy committee. 3:15:41
  • The board voted 7⁠-⁠0 to appoint Deborah Brooks as voting delegate for an October annual business meeting. 3:49:24

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

Item by item (14)
  1. Opening and executive session 0:15
    • The board reconvened in public session and the district clerk took a roll call. 1:19:29
    • The agenda, the recess and the motion to reconvene each passed 7⁠-⁠0. 0:53
  2. Opening remarks and recognitions 1:20:03
    • The remarks also recognized a staff member who has worked in the Schreiber High School library for 50 years. 1:20:55
    • Opening remarks noted that the Schreiber Times was awarded international first place by the Quill and Scroll Society. 1:21:26
  3. Superintendent's report 1:22:18
    • The superintendent said Regents exams are not going away and the district is awaiting additional state guidance. 1:22:18
    • The superintendent said the facilities department installed air conditioning and electrical upgrades in 30 classrooms over the summer. 1:23:48
    • The superintendent said the Board of Regents approved a plan to end the requirement that students pass Regents exams to earn a diploma, beginning with the '27-'28 school year, and that the change is not yet final. 1:26:01
  4. Enrollment and repair reserve updates 1:29:34
    • A district staff member reported 5,043 students in kindergarten through 12th grade, 65 students less than the prior year, and a kindergarten class of 334 students. 1:29:35
    • A presenter said $1 million in excess funds was deposited into the repair reserve as of June 30th, 2026, and that a public hearing on repair reserve appropriations will be held at the October 8th board meeting. 1:30:18
    • The staff member said the requested appropriation of over $500,000 would cover boiler repairs of about $257,000, masonry and waterproofing of $93,000, asphalt and blacktop of $73,000 and athletic field irrigation of $78,000. 1:31:16
  5. Student report 1:32:21
    • A student report described new ID procedures at Schreiber and plans for a survey of freshmen enrolled in AP Seminar. 1:32:21
  6. Public comment 1:35:05
    • Speakers at public comment thanked the district for reducing single-use plastics in cafeterias and mentioned a dishwasher pilot program at Sousa Elementary School. 1:36:05
    • A speaker at public comment asked whether the board would opt in to a property tax exemption for 100% disabled veterans. 1:38:18
    • A speaker responding from the dais said the matter would be discussed through the committee process and that the district has until the end of December. 1:39:14
  7. District priorities presentation 1:40:05
    • A district staff member presented six priorities under the theme Building on Excellence and said 97% of Schreiber seniors graduated. 1:40:05
    • Deborah Brooks asked about a drop in reading proficiency, and a district staff member described short-term work with teachers of current 4th, 5th and 6th graders and a long-term plan to select a knowledge-building program for a shared curriculum. 1:58:14
    • Sandra Alvarez asked when the board could see data on self-contained classes, and a district staff member said a program review of those classes has not been identified but could be done if the board would like. 2:22:58
  8. Meeting minutes 2:26:20
    • The board considered the September 10th, 2026 meeting minutes and the September 14th, 2026 budget and facilities meeting minutes. 2:26:48
    • The minutes were adopted 7⁠-⁠0. 2:27:01
  9. Committee reports 2:27:20
    • Julie Epstein said the Budget and Facilities Committee meeting was cut short by a fire drill and outlined planned topics including a financial look back, UPK and a report on electronic buses. 2:27:53
    • Nanette Melkonian said the curriculum committee's proposed dates and topics were added to the consent agenda and can be adjusted. 2:30:05
  10. Consent agenda 2:31:10
    • The consent agenda covered items 12.1 through 18.1, including a $25,000 gift from the Ed Foundation and a $4,225 gift from the SUSA HSA. 2:31:10
    • The consent agenda was approved 7⁠-⁠0. 2:31:40
  11. Student personal electronic devices policy 2:32:23
    • Deborah Brooks said the only change since August was moving one bullet on exceptions for educational purposes to the end of the list. 2:32:43
    • One board member raised concerns that the regulations used inconsistent language for the educational purpose exception and repeated provisions already in the code of conduct. 2:38:49
    • One board member said a sentence limiting use to the designated room and scheduled period would keep students from doing homework on their personal devices, and a district staff member said the wording might instead say periods as approved by the principal. 3:06:28
    • The board voted 7⁠-⁠0 to adopt Policy 5695. 3:15:33
  12. Code of conduct review process 3:15:41
    • A proposal was made to move leadership of code of conduct revisions from the code committee to the policy committee. 3:15:41
    • One board member said the code committee had met its goals and that they would be looking for it to be dissolved. 3:20:22
    • One board member suggested the existing committee could meet once to discuss the remaining topics, and a district staff member said it made sense to follow the normal policy committee process. 3:25:59
  13. State association resolutions and delegate 3:34:03
    • One board member said the resolutions committee did not recommend the board's UPK feasibility study resolution and that they declined a revision removing language about a pause. 3:36:46
    • One board member recommended keeping the resolution as drafted and seeking support from other boards at a Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association resolutions dinner. 3:42:43
    • Jessica Melwani said a conflict prevented serving as delegate this year. 3:48:10
    • The board voted 7⁠-⁠0 to appoint Deborah Brooks as delegate. 3:49:24
  14. Second public comment and adjournment 3:49:09
    • The board opened a second public comment period and announced the next meeting for October 8th. 3:49:09
    • The motion to adjourn passed 7⁠-⁠0. 3:50:05

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 “BOE Meeting 9/17/2026”