GUILDERLAND — School got off to a smooth start despite myriad “trials and tribulations,” the superintendent told the school board members at their Sept. 12 meeting.

The board also welcomed a new director of diversity, equity, and inclusion — Derek Westbrook, who attended the meeting with his family. He was greeted with applause.

Matthew Pinchinat, a Guilderland social studies teacher, was the first to fill the post, in 2021; Pinchinat left the district in July to work as deputy managing director of DEI for the state Teachers’ Retirement System.

“In spite of incredible heat and quite damaging storms, we have had a remarkably smooth opening of school,” said Superintendent Marie Wiles.

She commended the transportation department, which is suffering the same driver shortage as districts across the state and nation and is “currently down seven drivers,” Wiles said.

“However, they are getting children to school on time and home on time and making all of their runs as smooth as could possibly be,” said Wiles as staff take on extra work.

Inho Suh, Guilderland’s transportation supervisor, went “above and beyond, standing in pouring rain last Friday to make sure our high school students got on their buses in a complete downpour.”

Wiles also praised Clifford Nooney, the superintendent of building and grounds, and his team after “quite the disaster” late Thursday night when a tree fell on the high school. 

“We did not miss a beat of instruction,” said Wiles.

Board member Blanca Gonzalez-Parker said that in the “extreme heat” some sports events had been canceled or moved to a later time and asked about the process for making those decisions.

David Austin, the district’s director for health, physical education, and athletics, said the district follows guidelines based on the heat index.

“We had as hot of a start to our fall season last week as we’ve had in a long time so it was difficult ….,” he said. “It was hot and then we had storms hitting us right at the end of the day, right at the opportune time.”

Austin said he worked with Rachel Shatney, the district’s health and wellness coordinator, using “this really cool thing called the wet bulb thermometer.”

A thermometer covered in water-soaked cloth, with the water at ambient temperature, over which air is passed estimates the effect of temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and solar radiation on people.

“It was hot so I’m sure some of the kids were having a tough time especially because it’s beginning the season and they’re not quite in tip-top shape yet but we stay in contact with our coaches,” Austin said.

Some coaches pushed the practices or game times later and some were “proactive,” he said, and canceled.

“So it sounds like there’s discussion and it’s not just up to each individual coach, and they’re getting some guidance,” said Gonzalez-Parker.

Austin agreed. “They’re getting direct guidance from me and Rachel,” he said.

He noted it probably won’t be that hot again until the spring season. “That’s at the end of the year,” he said, “when it gets really hot.”

Board member Nathan Sabourin reported to the others that the policy committee is “going to make some revisions to the dress code in light of some of the requests from students and others regarding sports attire.” Members of the girls’ track team in the spring had said they wanted to be able to wear sports bras.

Sabourin also said that the committee was looking at some language already in place prohibiting book banning and was going to see “how we can beef that up to kind of try to represent potentially better how the district feels about actions taken by other districts or other communities to ban books.”

Board member Rebecca Butterfield said she got to see one of the new outdoor learning pavilions; there is to be one built at each school.

“That’s almost completed at Guilderland Elementary and it was beautiful,” Butterfield said, asking when the pavilions might be usable.

Wiles responded she hopes they will be ready this fall but it depends on the weather. “We already have all the furnishings for them,” she said. “It’s just a matter of getting through the wiring and putting the roofs on.”

Wiles said an overview of “where we are with the capital project” is planned for the next board meeting.

“A lot happened this summer — some of it very visible, some of it very invisible,” said Wiles.

Board Vice President Kelly Person called opening-day festivities “fantastic.”

“The energy was great,” she said, noting the recognition of 20-year teachers and teaching assistants “and everybody else.”

Person concluded, “Thanks for putting on a nice event for our teachers to come back to school.”

Other business

In other business at their Sept. 12 meeting, school board members unanimously:

— Ratified a contract between the district and the Guilderland Employees Association that runs from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2026;

— Approved continuing six agreements for special-education services;

— Approved a contract that will secure use of the MVP Arena in Albany on Wednesday morning, June 26, for the high school graduation ceremony with total estimated expenses of roughly $22,000;

— Approved emergency contract transportation services with Amazing Grace Transportation and private contracts with Rejha Group and Star and Strand Transportation, low bidders meeting specifications;

— Extended a contract with Northland Transportation as state law allows at the designated consumer price index, which is 3.5 percent, according to Assistant Superintendent for Business Andrew Van Alstyne;

— Continued an agreement with Christ the King School for emergency evacuation;

— Approved the award for minimally processed meat to Kilcoyne Farms, the lowest bidder meeting specifications. “Renée Heller, director of food services, worked with them on the bid hoping to get a better quality and price,” said Van Alstyne;

— Awarded the bid for environmentally friendly ice melt to SiteOne Landscape Supply, the lowest bidder meeting specifications;

— Approved a professional learning plan for the school year;

— Certified principals to evaluate teachers and Wiles to evaluate principals;

— Terminated the contract between the district and Kidz Corner Child Care & Learning Center; and

— Approved a new Scratch Club at the middle school “for students to create interactive stories, animations, games, and more by assembling blocks that represent code logic.”