Dan Pacos is usually making headlines in the town of Pomfret as Town Supervisor, but his “day job” led to a recent connection between his hometown district and the one he works for.

Pacos, the Superintendent of Lake Shore Central Schools, came to an agreement with the Fredonia Central School District for data privacy and security support from Lake Shore’s Data Protection Officer. The Fredonia Board of Education approved the contract at its latest meeting.

“This is an exciting opportunity and represents a really solid bang for our buck as a district,” said Fredonia Superintendent Dr. Brad Zilliox.

Fredonia will pay $2,500 for an audit of its systems and $500 per day for training and consultation, up to a maximum of 10 days, for a total cost not to exceed $7,500.

Zilliox noted that Lake Shore employs an expert in the field. He stated that with cyber security as strong of a need as ever, Fredonia “wanted to make sure our data is secure within the district.”

Two emergency transportation contracts were also recently approved by the Fredonia Board of Education between the District and Corvus Bus & Charter, Inc., each in the amount of $500 per day.

The first contract was retroactively approved, for a time period of March 26-28, while the second contract is from April 1 to May 1.

The Board also approved the appointment of Abbey Whitcher as School Secretary, effective April 28. Whitcher will resign from her role as Teaching Assistant to accept the new position. The Board also appointed Tiffany Rivera Reyes as a Food Service Helper, effective April 9, and Dan Bittinger as the 2025 Summer Driver Education Teacher, effective July 1.

Two Extended Leave Substitutes were also approved by the Board for non-probationary appointments: Christian Ambrosioni, certified, effective March 24; and Gina Alessi, non-certified, effective April 8. Four other substitutes were approved for per diem roles, including Caryn Nicosia, Kaitlyn Krystofiak, Louis Loveless, and Shane Murphy, who is serving as a home tutor.

Gaaron Jones was also approved as a student teacher, under the direction of David Denz. Lenieth Velez-Olmo was approved as a varsity boys track volunteer assistant coach. He is also a lifeguard at the district.

Athletic Director Nick Bertrando received approval from the Board to host summer camps at Fredonia for girls flag football, boys basketball, girls basketball, and the annual Gym Rats youth basketball camp. The Varsity Girls Flag Football Team was also approved to host a food truck fundraiser during the May 13 home game at the Orange Bowl against Iroquois.

The Board also approved the request from Stephen and Susan Cobb as advisers for the 36th annual Quest Backpacking expedition, which includes middle school students from Fredonia, Cassadaga, and Silver Creek. The Board approved a one-day hike May 3, a two-day hike May 9-10, and a four-day hike May 21-24. Zilliox gave a “shoutout” to the Cobbs for their continued commitment to the District, and called them the “catalysts” of the program.

The Board will hold a special meeting on Thursday, April 24 to discuss the District’s 2025-26 budget. The next regular meeting of the Fredonia Board of Education is Tuesday, April 29 at 6 p.m. in the high school library.