ELDRED, NY — After more than 100 attended the November meeting, fewer than 20 people braved the cold weather to attend the December 14 Eldred School Board meeting. Most of the attendees were student-presenters or teachers. Only three board members were present as well.

Interim Superintendent Dr. John Morgano announced a mentoring program for ninth-graders. Mentors have been identified within the community and will be overseen by school staff. The program is through the New York Office of Children and Family Services and is available at no cost to the district.

Morgano also gave an update of the proceedings of the task force on bullying. The first of three expected meetings has been held. The end result of the meetings is to be a list of recommendations to the board. A “Bully Button” has been added to the district’s website through which incidents of bullying can be reported. He also recommended utilization of Functional Behavior Plans for needy students to modify and redirect unfavorable behavior. The next meeting is to be held on January 22.

To date, 11 colleges and two branches of the military have been at the high school to meet with graduating seniors. In addition, a college day trip to SUNY Sullivan occurred during which participants could meet with any of the 50 colleges and universities represented there.

It was noted that four legal firms have advanced to the interview round that will be held in January. The successful applicant will serve the district on a retainer basis rather than under the hourly arrangement currently in effect, since the board in a previous meeting did not vote to retain counsel under a retainer agreement. Resident Paul Clark, during the public comment section of the meeting, urged the board to pursue a firm that is strong in the area of collective bargaining, stating that labor is the most costly segment of the district’s budget.

The next scheduled meeting of the board is January 14, 2018 at 7 p.m. at the George Ross MacKenzie Elementary School.