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PEEKSKILL, N.Y. — The Peekskill superintendent of schools has new power to approve small capital improvement projects in the city school district after a unanimous vote Thursday evening by the Board of Education.
In a 5-0 vote at a special meeting, the board gave Superintendent of School James Willis the authority for the 2012-2013 school year to approve change orders for capital projects up to $10,000. Also, it allowed the superintendent and board president Joseph Urbanowicz to jointly approve change orders of $10,000 to $50,000.
Change orders of more than $50,000 will require prior board approval. All change orders for capital projects will be presented as agenda items at regular business meetings for formal board action.
The vote, according to Willis, will allow changes to be made on capital improvement projects already under way such as the new media center in the high school or those scheduled to be started soon without having to assemble the Board of Education for a special meeting such as the one held Thursday to vote on them.
Board members wanted to make sure that any changes made to projects or any money spent, however small, would be recorded for the board and the public to review.
"It's not as much as the new middle school [construction], but we're still talking about millions of dollars," said trustee Lisbeth Bock.
Willis assured the board that any changes made would be recorded in the monthly treasurer's report for the board to review.
In other votes, the Board of Education:
• Appointed the firm Keane & Beane to serve as the designated legal counsel for certain cases for the 2012-13 school year.
• Appointed Dr. Donna Martugeas as a member of the district's Committee on Special Education and Pre-School Special Education for the 2012-13 school year.
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