ROME — A work study session Monday during the Rome City School District Board of Education’s regular meeting saw CPA Len Carissimo of D’Arcangelo & Co. LLC present findings of a recent audit to the board.

He went through several pages of specific findings for the group. In conclusion, Carissimo said the audit showed the district is in good shape.

“I think the school district is in good financial condition right now,” Carissimo told the board and the audience.

The audit report was later accepted by the board unanimously.

Superintendent’s report

District Superintendent Peter Blake announced that Monday evening’s meeting would be the last that would be streamed online via Zoom. The costs for the streaming are about the same as hiring a fun-time faculty member for a year, he said.

“I feel it’s best to put our money into our people and not into the internet,” Blake explained.

He also noted he had met with the architects and construction team for the new school project and they are looking at competition in 2027-2028.

A special breast cancer awareness event is scheduled for Friday’s football game and survivors will be celebrated between the first and second quarter, he added. The 50/50 raffle proceeds will benefit cancer awareness as well.

Public commentary

Former school board President Stephen Hampe told the board he was “more than distressed” to hear the Zoom meetings were going away, as he felt the discontinuing of Zoom transmissions of the board’s meetings would cause a loss of transparency in their proceedings. He also questioned the board’s pending policy change on allowing public commentary, which was addressed later in the meeting.

Rhiannon Butler told the board she is at her “wit’s end” with the continuing irregularity of the athletic shuttle buses, which is forcing parents to leave work early to drive their kids to their sporting locations. Joseph Mellace, board president, promised she would receive an email response from the board.

Policy action items

Board member Cassie Knutti led the group through the action of approving 19 policy item readings, which Blake stressed was simply a formality in the updating of the policy manual rather than all-new revisions to all of them.

Mellace questioned the acceptance of the second reading of “Policy 2350 - Board Meeting Procedures” which would set up public commentary later during their meeting time. Board member Kelly Carinci agreed, echoing Hampe’s earlier comments that the same policy was tried before without success. She said the later public commentary would make people stay for the entire meeting if they wanted to be heard.

Blake said Rome is the only area district he knows of not currently offering two public commentary sessions during its meetings. And if people do stay for the entire meeting, Blake added, they will have a better understanding of the working of the board and be more engaged.

Knutti agreed, saying the best way to know what the board is up to is to come out for their meetings. “If you want to hear what’s going on, this is the best venue to do so,” she said.

That specific reading approval was tabled while the rest were all approved unanimously.

Donation

The board voted unanimously with gratitude to accept the donation of a clarinet, two flutes and a melodica from Tricia Greco Peters.

Next meeting

The next meeting of the Rome City School District Board of Education is at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7 at the district office, 409 Bell Road. The public is welcome to attend.