At their meeting in September, Sherman Board of Education members reviewed the Request for Proposal that was put together by BOCES Superintendent David O’Rourke on behalf of the Sherman, Panama and Clymer school districts.

The Request for Proposal, a formal invitation to vendors will ask for a study of the three districts regarding a possible merger, said Sherman Superintendent Carrie Yohe.

“A statement by all three schools will be put on the web (in September),” Yohe said “The three superintendents meet to write a joint statement to place on each district’s websites explaining the RFP Feasibility Study,” she said.

Yohe stressed that this whole process is in the early stages and the districts are not prepared to release a timeline.

Also in her report, Yohe said the district has received several applicants for an additional school nurse. This is particularly good, Yohe said, because Sherman now has many names to add to the substitutes list.

Yohe said the district is looking at the possibility of having two nurse positions — one with an 11-month term and one with a 10-month term. “This way we will always have a backup RN in the district,” she said.

Yohe presented Part 1 of a presentation on the data gathered from state standardized tests. She noted that the high school had a very strong showing in US History and ELA. “One of the big things we are looking at this year is vocabulary,” she said.

Yohe told board members that, in grades three through eight, there was a strong improvement in both ELA and Math. Fifth and sixth grade were above the state proficiency levels in ELA and in Math, Both sixth and seventh grade scored very high, she said. “The sixth grade Math scores were phenomenal.”

In other business, board members welcomed Sherman student Brookelynn Wright as ex-officio school board member. Wright took the oath of office and thanked the board for the opportunity to serve.

Also present at the meeting was Sherman Spanish teacher Javier Castro who spoke to the board about the program which will enable students to receive the New York State Seal of Biliteracy. This is the first Seal the Sherman School District is participating in. Castro told board members that seven students are currently working toward receiving the seal in the 2027 school year.

In another matter, board members heard a report from the new Director of Pupil Services, Kati Carcaterro. She reported she has been working to build relationships with staff members, students and parents. “I’ve been trying to visit classrooms and be as visible as possible to the students,” she said. “I’m also focusing on parent involvement in the CSE process. Collaboration is a big goal of mine.”