Watertown Board approves tax warrants, contracts and personnel items; authorizes school safety officer to carry firearm

The Watertown City School District Board of Education on Oct. 17 approved a series of routine and substantive items including the district tax warrant for the 2025–26 school year, the Flower/Clark Memorial Library levy, a three-year data processing services agreement with the City of Watertown, a school safety officer employment agreement that includes authorization to carry a firearm while on duty, and several personnel and textbook-disposal items.

Board members voted to confirm the tax roll and issue the district tax collection warrant for the 2025–26 school year. The resolution says voters authorized the board to raise up to $103,909,155 for 2025–26 and directs tax collection to begin Oct. 7 and end Dec. 5, 2025. The resolution sets a penalty schedule of no penalty Oct. 7–Nov. 7 and 2% interest Nov. 8–Dec. 5, after which unpaid taxes are to be turned over to the county per the warrant language presented to the board.

The board separately approved the library tax levy for the Flower/Clark Memorial Library authorizing collection of $75,000 under the same collection window and penalty schedule described for district taxes.

The board approved a three-year data processing services agreement with the City of Watertown to continue city-managed assessment and tax-bill production services for the district. The amounts disclosed during discussion were $11,300 for the 2025–26 school year; $11,639 for 2026–27; and $11,988.17 for 2027–28.

On personnel and safety matters, the board approved a proposed employment agreement for Lindsay Morrow Kloster as a school safety officer and, as written in the resolution, authorized her to possess and carry a firearm on school district property while performing duties as a school safety officer. The authorization was described in the resolution as subject to the terms of the employment agreement and revocable by the board.

Other business approved without separate roll-call detail included the consent agenda (items A–F), a personnel report listing resignations, appointments, probationary and nonprobationary instructional and noninstructional hires, substitute rosters and coaching assignments, and a resolution to dispose, recycle or donate damaged or outdated textbooks from multiple elementary and middle-school sites.

Where recorded in the meeting record, seconders and procedural motions were noted: the consent agenda was moved and seconded by Laurie and Melanie; the data processing contract motion was moved by Randy; one item (the tax roll motion) was seconded by Dina. Vote tallies were taken by voice for most motions; explicit individual tallies were not entered in the minutes provided. The personnel report recorded one abstention described as “the student” member; no name was given in the vote record.

The board also took a ceremonial action at the start of the meeting to appoint an ex officio student representative to the board for the 2025–26 school year and administered an oath. The resolution text as presented to the board contains inconsistent naming: the written resolution identifies “Kayla Paul” as the selected student, the resolved clause refers to “Caleb” as the student representative, and the board clerk and others addressed the appointee as Kayla during the swearing-in. The board approved the appointment and administered the oath during the meeting.

The board closed the public portion of the meeting by scheduling an executive session for personnel, medical/financial history and potential real property and securities matters.

Votes at a glance (items recorded in the meeting transcript):
• Appointment of ex officio student member (resolution text names Kayla Paul; resolved clause refers to Caleb) — approved. Effective dates in resolution: 09/01/2025–06/03/2026 (as printed in resolution). Mover/second: not specified/“second, Lauren.”
• Consent agenda items A–F — approved. Mover: Laurie; second: Melanie.
• Approval to confirm the tax roll, levy the tax and issue the collection warrant for Watertown City School District (voters authorized raise up to $103,909,155) — approved. Motion seconded by Dina; collection window Oct. 7–Dec. 5, 2025; penalty schedule described in motion.
• Approval to confirm the tax roll, levy the tax and issue the collection warrant for the Flower/Clark Memorial Library ($75,000) — approved.
• Approval of a three-year data processing services agreement with the City of Watertown — approved. Amounts disclosed: $11,300 (2025–26); $11,639 (2026–27); $11,988.17 (2027–28). Mover: Randy.
• Approval of school safety officer employment agreement for Lindsay Morrow Kloster, including board authorization to possess and carry a firearm on school property while working as a school safety officer — approved.
• Approval of personnel report (resignations, appointments, substitutes, coaching assignments, etc.) — approved; recorded one abstention by the student member.
• Approval to dispose, recycle or donate outdated/damaged textbooks from Knickerbocker Elementary and other listed schools — approved.

Clarifying details: Where vote counts or explicit roll-call tallies were not recorded in the transcript provided, the article states that tallies were not specified. The tax resolution language as read into the record cites the Real Property Tax Law sections identified in the board resolution as presented to members.

Why it matters: The tax warrant sets the district’s collection timeline and penalty schedule; the data-services and personnel actions affect daily operations. The school safety officer authorization changes the scope of duties for the named hire and was passed by the board as written in the employment resolution.

What’s next: The board scheduled an executive session at the end of the meeting for personnel and real-estate/security-related matters and will meet again for upcoming policy and board meetings noted on its calendar.