OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen Fredonia High School Principal Darrin Paschke referred to negotiations between the FAA and the district as “amicable.”

Fredonia’s administrators were the latest group of district employees to be rewarded with a new extension, as the Fredonia Board of Education recently approved an agreement between the district and the Fredonia Administrators’ Association (FAA) through June 30, 2027.

“I’m pleased that we can come to an agreement with our administrators. I think they do a wonderful job in keeping the school going straight and keeping the students all in line. It’s good to have a long-term contract with them,” Board of Education President Brian Aldrich said.

The extension was the last of the four association contracts to be renewed since Fredonia Superintendent Dr. Brad Zilliox took over with the district in November of 2020. The Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA), the Salaried Staff Support Association (SSSA) and the Fredonia Teachers Association (FTA) have all recently reached extensions with the district, as well.

“I want to thank everybody who was part of the committee for staying positive. There was certainly some lively discussion and some back and forth … it was good conversations across the board,” Zilliox said. “… We don’t always see eye-to-eye, but the goal is to get to an agreement where we can both feel good about moving forward. I think we were able to achieve that.”

FAA President Darrin Paschke, Fredonia High School Principal, said of the negotiations, “There are things we certainly didn’t agree on, but it was always amicable and both sides worked through all of the issues we needed to work through.”

Zilliox highlighted the previous contract with the FAA ran through the pandemic, and that the district wanted to recognize its administrators’ efforts during such times.

Also at the recent meeting, the district amended the appointment starting dates for a pair of teachers recently hired from the Cassadaga Valley Central School District, Amy Zappie and Rhea Nelson. Each teacher was originally expected to be held to a 30-day notice period at their previous employer as permitted by New York State, but Cassadaga Valley elected to allow the teachers to commence their new positions at Fredonia effective Aug. 30.

Other personnel items were also addressed at the recent meeting, including the permanent appointment of Alberto Ramirez Sanchez as Hispanic Outreach Coordinator; the temporary appointment of Margaret Brisky as school secretary; and the approval of Jessica Gugino as a Surrogate Parent for Special Education Students within the district.

Per diem substitutes approved were Nicole Kubacki, Joseph DeVer Martin, Ashley Cohen, Megan Narraway, Katherine Friend, Tristan Tarbell, and Brett Pruette.

The appointment of Andrew Wheelock, Instructional Technology Specialist/District Privacy Officer, was also amended as a year-round, 8.0 hours per day position.