BOE discusses new principal, asbestos and health clinic

WEBUTUCK -— Along with receiving the latest updates on the North East (Webutuck) Central School District’s (WCSD) emergency asbestos abatement project, the Webutuck Board of Education (BOE) welcomed Robert Knuschke as the new principal of Webutuck High School (WHS). The school board also discussed the WCSD school-based health clinic and remote learning for students due to asbestos contamination at its Monday, Feb. 7, Zoom meeting.

Asbestos update

Business Administrator Robert Farrier provided an update on the asbestos abatement in the WHS auditorium, where a burst pipe had forced the district to address asbestos in the ceiling that had formerly been contained. The damage was caused by recent extreme cold weather.

With the project site completely blocked off by hard wall barriers, Farrier reported contractor ACA Environmental Services has been on site for more than a week and demolition started on the 7th.

Though he hasn’t physically been on site, Farrier said ACA provides regular updates to construction management group, The Palombo Group, which updates him.

Farrier said the project must be done by Monday, Feb. 28, as students in grades seventh through 12th are expected to return to in-person instruction that day after a huge percentage of students shifted to remote learning due to the abatement project.

Health clinic

Offering an update on Webutuck’s long-awaited school-based health clinic, Farrier said the new nurse’s office — formerly the computer room for the joint WHS/Eugene Brooks Intermediate School (EBIS) building — is now complete. The former nurse’s office will now be used as the new health clinic; construction has already begun.

While the initial target date to complete the project was for the end of February, Farrier said delays with furniture now scheduled to arrive mid-March have pushed that back.

District nurses are currently operating in the EBIS weight room, where Webutuck Nurse Charles Davis and Health Office Assistant Colleen Hazelton are providing health services to the students on campus at this time.

WHS principal

Before introducing Knuschke as the new WHS principal, Superintendent of Schools Raymond Castellani gave an overview of the search to fill outgoing WHS Principal Katy McEnroe’s place. She will retire this June. (For more on McEnroe’s career, read Page A1.)

Of the 40-plus applications received, Castellani said 16 candidates were offered interviews and 13 ultimately interviewed during the course of two days. It was then narrowed down to two candidates who were sent to the BOE for final consideration.

“Throughout the whole process, we were lucky to find what we believe is going to be a difference-maker in our high school,” Castellani said of Knuschke, “who’s going to lead us for a number of years, I’m hoping, into the future, replacing Katy McEnroe, keeping the ship afloat, keeping the ship going.”

The BOE unanimously voted to appoint Knuschke for a three-year probationary period as WHS principal, starting July 1 with his term ending in 2025.

As the BOE welcomed Knuschke aboard, BOE President Judy Moran thanked everyone who participated in the selection process.

A profile of Knuschke will be published in a future edition of The Millerton News.

Remote students

At the tail end of his report, Castellani remarked Webutuck is still on schedule to complete its abatement project and have students in grades 7th through 12th return to in-person learning.

Right now, he said Webutuck has 87% of its high school students attending school remotely. McEnroe and her team have been working closely with the other 13% of students who are not attending or checking in remotely with home visits to keep communications open.

Castellani also reported 89% of EBIS seventh- and eighth-grade students are learning remotely.

He credited EBIS Principal Matthew Pascale and McEnroe for doing a wonderful job in bringing 20 to 25 students back into school to learn in person.

Castellani explained these students were either not fully participating in remote learning or having a difficult time with online learning and either they or their parents expressed an interest in their returning to campus.