ROME — Newly tenured teachers were celebrated Monday by the Rome City School District Board of Education and district Superintendent Peter Blake with cake and kudos before their regular board meeting.

Held in the Rome Free Academy library to accommodate room for the social time, teachers and their significant others came out for the celebratory event. The board then officially approved tenure during their meeting for Melinda Boufford, Charles DerCola, Toby Jacobs-Mijolovic, Renee Lewis, Susan Mills and Stephen Russell, all effective Aug. 31; Jacob Pohl, effective Sept. 29; Peter Massi, effective Oct. 3; and Amanda Carey-Thompson, effective Feb. 14, 2024.

Budget, election results

Blake thanked district residents for their support in passing the 2023-2024 budget the previous week.

Just-elected board member Kirstin Safin took her place at the meeting table Monday. She is filling the one-year remainder of a term on the board. Meanwhile, incumbent board member Jeff DeMatteis earned the most votes in the May 16 election to secure a full three-year term, which caused him to leave the board momentarily until that term starts July 1.

Also elected to three-year terms were Suzanne Carvelli and Paula Witt.

Bus drivers acknowledged

Blake gave a “shoutout” to the district bus drivers who are facing challenges of a “mess” caused by personnel shortages but continue to come in each day to do their jobs. Some have even met belligerency from upset residents, Blake said, so he wanted to publicly thank them for what they do for the district.

Renaming studio, cul-de-sac

Following a public hearing on May 8, the board voted unanimously to rename the studio at Rome Free Academy as the Alana Iacovissi Studio, in honor of the recent RFA graduate and former Board of Education student liaison. They also voted to rename the cul-de-sac and flag area in front of Stokes Elementary School in honor of retired faculty member George DiFabio.

Sports team commendations

The board commended members of the Rome Free Academy varsity girls golf team, coached by Dave Petrelli; the boys lacrosse team, coached by Kiel Adams; the girls lacrosse team, coached by Kayla Miller; the softball team, coached by Gerald Closinski; the boys tennis team, coached by Larry Beviliacqua; the boys track and field team, coached by Ted Swavely; and the girls track and field team, coached by Nick Jeror.

Each of the teams achieved a spring marking period average of 90% or higher.

“This is a credit to them, a credit to their coaches, a credit to their teachers and a credit to their parents,” Blake said.

Ad-Hoc Committee report

Chair Kelly Carinci said the committee continues to address class sizes in the district schools, noting that redistricting is not something district residents seem to want to pursue. The next meeting of the Ad-Hoc Committee is at 4 p.m. Monday, June 5, at the district offices, 409 Bell Road. The public is welcome to attend.

Appeal denied

The board denied the appeal of a student’s discipline and affirmed the administration’s handling of that discipline, as discussed in the confidence of an executive session before the meeting, by a vote of six to three.

Public comment

Mary Byrne addressed her concern for the safety of girl lacrosse players who aren’t wearing helmets, especially when playing against teams where their opponents do.

“I don’t want any Rome kid playing on a field with other kids with better equipment,” she said.

Next meeting

The next regular meeting of the Rome City School District Board of Education is at 6 p.m. Monday, June 12 at the Rome Free Academy library, 95 Dart Circle. Retirees and the class of 2023 top 10 students will be honored at that meeting and the public is welcome to attend.