About 20 community members met informally with Red Hook Central School District Board of Education members recently to discuss topics ranging from school start times to finance, facilities and communication. 

The Board of Education Meet and Greet took place Nov. 7 in the Mill Road Primary School cafeteria with light refreshments provided by the district’s Food Services team. 

Board members paired up at tables each with a designated general topic based on board goals: communications, finance, facilities and academics. Attendees could move freely from topic to topic or stay in one place.  

At the academics table, several members of the community spoke about wanting later start times for classes. The issues of language instruction and more elective options also came up during the evening. 

On the subject of communications, some residents asked for more and earlier communication on district athletic matches, events and the like while at the facilities table there was discussion about cafeteria layout, improved lighting and sound in the performing arts center, and the possibility of creating a partnership to increase opportunity for use of turf fields throughout the community 

At the finance table there was a discussion of resource allocation. 

Information gathered by board members during this meet and greet will be used to help inform discussions and decision making. 

It is the second meet and greet board members held, the first one was at Taste Buds Café last year.