Board of Education

• Board of Education meetings are open to the public and members of the community are encouraged to attend.
• Public Comments are subject to Policy 1510. Please see below for additional information.
• To email the entire Board of Education plus the Superintendent of Schools:  boe@caz.cnyric.org

Welcome to the Meeting!

The Cazenovia Central School District Board of Education welcomes residents, staff and students to its meetings. We appreciate your interest in our schools.

One of the goals of the Board of Education is to conduct board business openly, soliciting and encouraging broad based involvement in the decision-making processes by the public, the staff and the students.

The Board of Education represents the community's voice in public education and seeks to engage in a collaborative process.  Please observe the Board in action, express opinions and ask questions. We are pleased to have you here and hope you can join us often!

Please Attend! Monthly Board Meetings and Work Sessions begin at 6:30 pm. Committee Meetings (if scheduled) typically begin at 5:30 pm before regular Board Meetings. School Board Meetings generally are held on the third Monday of each month in the Board Meeting Room located in the District Office in the Middle School. Meeting dates are listed on the district website and school calendars.

Public Comments

Public comments are subject to Policy 1510:

"The Board encourages courteous and respectful public comment at Board meetings. All speakers must conduct themselves in a civil manner. Obscene language, harassing language, defamatory statements, and threats of violence are prohibited. All participants are required to comply with the District Code of Conduct.

The Board will designate a specific portion of its meeting agenda for public comment for a period of up to 30 minutes. The public is not permitted to discuss topics unrelated to the District, and/or matters involving specific individuals. Each speaker will be allowed up to three minutes. The Board may request, but will not require, speakers identify themselves. The Board is not required to allow speakers to cede their remaining time to other speakers. Written comments may be directed to the Board.

If there are a large number of individuals who want to address the Board, the Board President may limit the number of repetitive comments being made so that the time limit on public comment is not exceeded.

If individuals engage in disruptive or unruly behavior during the meeting, the Board President will remind the audience of this policy and the requirement to conduct themselves in a civil manner and comply with the District Code of Conduct. The Board President may call for the removal of disruptive or unruly individuals from the meeting. When appropriate, law enforcement may be called to remove disruptive or unruly individuals. In some instances, individuals engaging in disruptive or unruly behavior may be subject to criminal sanctions.

These rules apply to residents and nonresidents equally."

Comments may be made in writing to the Board of Education. Correspondence may be addressed to:

Cazenovia Central School District
Attn:  Board of Education
31 Emory Avenue
Cazenovia, NY 13035
boe@caz.cnyric.org

Agenda

Copies of the agenda, which outlines the order of business for each meeting, are available to the public in the public seating area of the Board Meeting Room. It may also be found on the district website the Friday before each meeting. Agenda and supporting documents are provided to Board Members in advance of the meeting date to allow them to study and review the information.

During the business meeting it may appear as if some items are being voted upon with little or no discussion. However, this is not usually the case as some items have appeared on a previous agenda or may have been discussed at length at a special meeting or in executive session.

The usual order of business at regular business meeting is as follows:

• Call to Order
• Presentation
• Public Comments
• Written Communications
• Information and Reports
  • from the Board Committees
  • from the Board President
  • from the Superintendent
  • from the Assistant Superintendents
  • from the Building Principals
• Recommended Actions
  • Routine Matters
    • Minutes of Previous Meeting
    • Financial Reports and Authorization
    • Committee on Special Education Report
  • New Business
  • Personnel Report
• Discussion Items
• Advanced Planning
• Adjournment

The Board may also receive educational program and information reports on which no action is taken.

Seated with the Board of Education at the conference tables are the Superintendent of Schools, the District’s Assistant Superintendents, and the District Clerk. The Executive Assistant to the District Office serves as the District Clerk and records the minutes of the meetings.
 

Special Sessions

In addition to its regular business meetings, the Board may hold special meetings. Special meetings are planning sessions at which the Board receives from the Superintendent of Schools reports and information regarding the management of the School District. During special sessions, Board Members have the opportunity to study and discuss specific topics in depth and to review items to be acted upon at future business meetings. Special meetings are open to the public and the public may observe deliberations but may not participate.
 

Executive Sessions

During the regular meeting, the board may meet in Executive Session to discuss a particular personnel matter, labor negotiations and other matters defined as confidential by the Open Meetings Law of State of New York. Sessions are closed to the public.
 

Public Hearings

Public Hearings often are held on issues that may lead to a public referendum. During public hearings, the Board may make a brief presentation about the issue but the primary focus of the meeting is hearing comments from the public.
 

Responsibilities of the Board

The Board of Education is responsible for the scope, depth and quality of education in the District. As elected officials they:

• define the philosophy of the District;
• set goals and objectives to achieve desired educational progress;
• employ professional educators to meet the goals;
• establish policies for the operation of the School District;
• evaluate the effectiveness of District programs and services;
• develop a budget consistent with educational needs and community resources;
• communicate the needs and progress of the District to the community, educational governing boards and legislators.

No person or groups of persons acts in the name of the Board. All motions require a majority vote, four (4), before the Board can act. A Board Member is in an official capacity only during an official Board Meeting.
 

Questions

Community residents having questions regarding specific aspects of the schools’ programs may obtain the best information by talking directly with a student’s teacher or a Building Principal. Information on a District-wide program or a special concern may be provided by contacting the District Office Administrative Staff.
 

Community Forums

At various time during the school year, the District’s Superintendent and the Board of Education set aside special additional times for parents, alumni and other district residents to participate in open forums designed to gain insight and feedback from the greater school community.

What is a Board of Education?

The Board is the official policy making body of the School District. The Board is composed of seven (7) non-partisan voting members, elected by the District Residents, who serve three-year terms of office without pay.
 

Superintendent of Schools

The Superintendent of Schools, selected by the Board of Education, serves as Chief Executive Officer of the School District. The Superintendent is responsible for implementing educational programs and policies adopted by the Board and day-to-day operation of the school system. The Superintendent advises the Board on all matters related to the effective management of the schools.
 

Mr. Christopher DiFulvio
Superintendent of Schools
31 Emory Avenue
Cazenovia, NY 13035
cdifulvio@caz.cnyric.org
315.655.1317