Board of Education

2022-23 BOE Meeting Dates

July 13, 2022
July 27, 2022 - Special Virtual Meeting Added for 7:00 p.m.
August 3, 2022
August 24, 2022
September 6, 2022 - Special Virtual Meeting Added for 7:00 p.m.
September 14, 2022
October 19, 2022
November 9, 2022
December 14, 2022
January 11, 2023
February 1, 2023
February 15, 2023
March 1, 2023
March 15, 2023
March 29, 2023 - Board of Education Workshop Added
April 5, 2023
April 19, 2023
May 3, 2023
May 17, 2023

May 25, 2023 (Special Meeting)
June 14, 2023

The nine-member RCS Board of Education meets regularly during the school year. Exceptions are made to avoid conflicts with religious holy days, state and national conferences, or extended recess periods.

The meetings begin at 6:00 p.m. and the doors open at 5:45 p.m. Location, unless otherwise noted on the agenda, is the High School Library.

Meetings may also be held at the various school buildings, and in those cases, advance notice of the meeting is given on this website. The board of education holds special meetings as needed.

What does the board do?

A local board of education is an agency of New York State that is governed by state law and the regulations of the commissioner of education. The board of education is made up of nine members who are elected by qualified voters of the district. All board members run “at large” in the district and serve without pay for three-year terms. New York State law does not limit the number of terms a board member may serve. Elections are held each year on the third Tuesday in May.

The board’s five main areas of responsibility are:

  • to establish all school district policies;

  • to develop an annual budget for public approval;

  • to approve or disapprove the superintendent’s recommendations regarding personnel matters and the many contracts the district must enter;

  • to review courses of study and textbooks;

  • to act as a two-way communications link between residents and the superintendent.

The decisions of your elected board of education affect your child, your child’s future, your tax rate, and the well-being of your community. The board urges your participation in such important matters and encourages the school district and the community to work together to provide the best possible educational program for students in the RCS district.

Considering Running for the Board of Education?

Thank you for your potential interest in serving as a board member on the RCS Board of Education. Although the legal requirements for becoming a board member in New York State are not difficult, possessing the characteristics that make someone a functional and productive member of a legislative body is very important.

Click for more information about what it takes to be on the Board of Education.

About the Board

Get to know the members of the RCS Board of Education.

Committees

Finance – Kristin Hill-Burns (Chair) & William McFerran
Audit – All BOE Members
Buildings and Grounds – Peter Ross (Chair) & Edward Bedinotti
Curriculum and Instruction - Tina Furst-Hotaling (Chair) & Jennifer Molino
Policy – Bray Engel (Chair) & Michael Deyo

Stay Involved, Stay Informed

All board of education meeting agendas and regular session materials are posted in advance of the meetings. BOE minutes and archived meeting videos are available within one-to-two days following the meeting. 

View the documents here.

Watch board meetings from your home using streaming video! All RCS board meetings can be watched live using streaming video. Follow this live video link to watch the next board of education meeting as it is happening. Please note this link will only work during the meeting.

Within 1-2 days of the meeting, the archived video link will be available here.

Board of Education Meeting viewing times on Public Access TV

  • Tuesdays, 8 p.m. on Mid-Hudson Cable Channel 11

  • Mondays at 8 p.m. and Saturdays at 10 a.m. on BSN-TV (Bethlehem Community Network Television) Channel 18 for Time-Warner Cable subscribers.

  • Mondays at 8 p.m. and Saturdays at 10 a.m. on Channel 28 for Bethlehem residents who subscribe to Verizon FIOS.

These times are subject to change by the cable provider.

Information