schools

The Batavia City School District is doing everything it can to hold down costs, but federal and state mandates make that more difficult every year, Superintendent Chris Dailey told members of the Batavia Kiwanis Club during their weekly lunch Thursday at Genesee ARC's Community Center.

Besides the long-standing mandates out of Albany, the new national education initiative called Common Core is adding new expenses for the district, Dailey said.

Even so, the district spends $18,207 per pupil annually compared to $20,410 per pupil on a statewide average.

"We're trying everything we can to keep it as lean as possible and keep it as far away from the students as possible," Dailey said.

Over the past three years, the district has cut 26 teacher positions, three administrative positions, three custodial positions and 10 clerical/teacher aide positions.

Voters in the district will be asked to approve a new budget May 21 that increases the district's share of the property tax levy by 2 percent.

Under terms of the state's property tax cap law, the district could have taken the levy up 5.5 percent.

The district is proposing $41,981,241 in spending, which is an increase over last year of 4.7 percent.

A homeowner with an $80,000 piece of property would be asked to pay $36.87 more in taxes annually under the proposed budget plan.

Non-mandated spending that is protected with the proposed budget is kindergarten (the state does not mandate kindergarten and in fact some school districts are eliminating the program), art classes, music in K-5, school plays, athletics, extracurricular clubs and advanced placement courses.

The district also does not see the need right now to increase class sizes.

Last year's school consolidation helped the district save money and keep the tax increase to a minimum, Dailey said.

There are school districts nearby that aren't faring as well, Daily said, and City Schools officials anticipate that in two or three years, some of those districts will become insolvent and the Batavia district will be asked to take on those students, which is part of the reason the district has maintained ownership of the Robert Morris property. The district may need the classroom space if required to absorb students from another district.

As part of the ballot later this month, the district is asking voters to approve a $3.8 million capital investment project that makes ADA-compliant upgrades to Van Detta Stadium and undertakes a number of maintenance and upgrade projects at the high school, Jackson School, John Kennedy School and Robert Morris.

There is also $1.5 million set aside for restoration work at the Richmond Memorial Library, including a new roof.

"We've done everything possible to try and save that roof," Dailey said "There's bubble gum up there holding it together if you really want look. We really need to replace that roof. The library is a gem for the community and it needs to be taken care of and it needs to be done the right way."

Last year, voters shot down a capital investment project that included upgrades to Van Detta that some found excessive.

This time around, the district is merely seeking to improve the handicapped accessibility of the stands and bathrooms.

The district is also looking to fund upgrades at the girls softball field, where conditions recently prompted a lawsuit by a pair of district parents.

Polls will be open May 21 from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at John Kennedy School, 166 Vine St., Batavia, and Batavia High School, 260 State St., Batavia.

A public presentation on the budget will be made by Dailey at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, in the high school's library.

Photos and information submitted by Michaele White.

Kennedy White, a 17-year-old student at Byron-Bergen, took third place at the NYS Skills USA competition for welding held in Syracuse last week. She received a bronze medal and a $2,000 scholarship to Lincoln to further her welding skills. She is a second-year student in welding at BOCES under instructor Don Shuknecht.

This is one of a series of articles we will run over the next three days highlighting the winners of the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce awards for 2012. The awards gala is Saturday evening at the Clarion Hotel.

St. Joseph School has been around since 1873 and currently has an enrollment of 300 students from pre-K through eighth grade. The Catholic elementary school employes 14 full-time teachers, four part-time teachers, six full-time aides, six support staff and two school nurses.

Karen Green has been a part of St. Joe's school for 17 years. She started out teaching first and second grade and has been the school's principal for the last seven years. She has witnessed much change in those 17 years. However, the school's mission of teaching faith, academics and service has always remained the same.

Green says, "We are an option for families that are looking for something different. If they want that Catholic and Christian-centered education we are here to give that to them."

She says she is very proud of St. Joseph students. Their work habits, their character and how they treat each other make the teachers' jobs very easy.

Academics and service are what make St. Joseph students stand out.

"I often hear from high-school teachers and administrators that they love getting St. Joe's kids, they have good work habits and they participate in class. Knowing that they leave here doing that is a great feeling," Green says.

Chad Zambito, who has been working at St. Joseph's for the past year running their marketing campaign, nominated the school for the special recognition award. After walking through the halls of the school and seeing the kids and their families, Zambito realized that it was different at St. Joe's. It was a special place.

"They have a strong tradition of supporting the community while struggling to make ends meet," Zambito says. "The school continues to find ways to expand programs like advanced math and sciences along with athletics and music while other institutions have been cutting their programs."

St. Joe's gets very little funding from the state.Tuition and enrollment are very important. "It's what we are used to, we have always done more with less," Green says. 

The parents also play an important role. They help with raising funds by volunteering to work at Friday night bingo, the Mammoth sale, fruit sale, Walk-a-thon, Popcorn Ball, and the Penny Carnival. According to Green, "Those big events give us enough money so that we can give our kids and teachers extras like iPads and SMART Boards to work with. We've tried to make the technology really important here and I think that's how we stay afloat."     

In Genesee County, St. Joseph School is the last remaining Catholic elementary school. St. Mary's closed in 2004 and St. Anthony's in 2006. 

Last year, with the closing of Holy Family School in Le Roy, St. Joseph School had to deal with an influx of about 100 students. "We had a couple of tough months over the summer last year trying to prepare," Green says. "We had mixed feelings and it was bittersweet, we felt bad their school had to close and we know what it would have been like and it very well could have been us put in that position." 

St. Joe's hired six aides and two teachers to accommodate the larger class size. Next year they will be looking for a part-time teacher for their Earth Science class at the middle-school level. 

Looking forward to the 2013-14 school year, the first, third and fourth grades are full and have a waiting list. Kindergarten is filling up fast with only five spaces open. At the middle-school level, sixth, seventh and eighth grades are all open.

Parents who have enrolled their children in 3- and 4-year-old preschool can take advantage of the school's Wrap Around Program which was started two years ago. Green says this program has taken off. It's for parents who need an affordable safe place to take their kids after the half day pre-school session.  

Green says her group of teachers, aides and support staff are amazing. They go above and beyond every day. Some run the After School Program, some are involved in extracurricular activities like Drama Club and Art Class and all are available after school each day to provide support for students and parents.

"It takes a special person to work here, to put that much time and dedication in and they do it on a daily basis. The salary is not like in the public school systems," Green said.

Each school year there will always be challenges. Green thinks that is not always a bad thing. 

"St. Joseph School will always be looking to improve in every aspect," she says. "We just don't want to sit back and say things are working well the way they are. You have to always be looking forward to the future. We are always trying to think ahead to make our school stronger and I think that's why we continue to do what we do here." 

For more information on St. Joseph School at 2 Summit St. in Batavia call 585-343-6154 or check out their Web site at www.sjsbatavia.org/

Photos by Howard Owens.

Karen Green

Press release:

On April 5, the Batavia City School District received notification that a lawsuit was filed by the Empire Justice Center on behalf of a few District parents with the intent to demand an immediate upgrade to the girls’ softball field claiming the District was in violation of Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972.

The District believes this lawsuit is misguided as the issues addressed in the lawsuit have already been diligently pursued and we have prepared a proposition for voter approval during the annual District’s budget vote in May 2013.

In 2011, softball field upgrades were included in the District’s capital-improvements project proposal which was ultimately voted down by the taxpayers. Even after the capital improvement proposition was voted down, the District allocated as much funding as possible for material and labor to resurface the girls’ softball infield. In addition, arrangements were made to have nearly half of the home games played at an area premier softball facility, Genesee Community College.

The District also continues to make regular maintenance on this field and whatever improvements it can make within the approved budget. To continue its efforts to upgrade the softball field, in 2012, the District commenced an architectural study to address resurfacing the field, installing dugouts, an electronic scoreboard and outfield fencing. This plan was reviewed and approved by the Board of Education at its Feb.12, 2013 meeting.

A proposal to fund this plan, which also includes capital improvements for District buildings and the Richmond Memorial Library, will be placed on the ballot during the annual vote on the District’s budget on May 21. If the voters approve this capital proposition, the District will initiate the upgrades to the field as outlined above after the softball season ends so as not to disrupt the current season.     

Subsequent to the Board’s approval of the plan, the District received a letter on February 20, 2013 from the Empire Justice Center demanding that the softball field be upgraded immediately. The District met with representatives of the Empire Justice Center to review the matter.

We explained that the requested upgrades in their letter were the same improvements already incorporated into the District’s proposed project with the exception of night lighting. We shared with these representatives that commencing an upgrade immediately was impractical given that the work would render the field unplayable for most of the season as well as that the work was duplicative of that included within the District’s proposed capital project.

Unfortunately, the District’s good-faith efforts in terms of work already done to the field as well as the presentation of comprehensive facility upgrades to the voters for approval in May 2013 were ignored. However, with just a few more months of patience, it is the District’s belief that it will be able to embark on a comprehensive and complete renovation to the softball facilities.

Photos and info from Aaron Brown:

Today the Pembroke Intermediate School's SADD Club celebrated Kick Butts Day! It's a day when schools and communities across the country take a stand against Big Tobacco and pledge to not to use tobacco.

The students at Jackson School took a trip to Candyland today, guided by teachers, staff and City Schools Superintendent Chris Dailey, who played King Candy in the play written by two Jackson teachers.

The play -- "Reading is a Sweet Treat" -- was all about the adventures of reading and honoring the students who did the best in reading recently.

Candy was distributed to teachers for the kids at the end of the play CORRECTION: The bags contained books.

The children seemed to have a blast throughout the whole performance.

Press release:

The Genesee County Youth Conference Coalition sponsored its 25th Annual Youth Conference at Genesee Community College this week.

This conference is offered on an annual basis to local seventh- and eighth-grade students in an effort to address pertinent social issues of interest to youngsters of middle-school age.

This year we also invited a select group of students from Orleans County. There were approximately 500 seventh- and eighth-grade students in attendance.

This year’s theme of the conference was “Illusions … To Lead or to be Mis-Led.” 

The keynote speaker, nationally known Illusionist Tom Coverly, addressed the kids in the areas of bullying, respect and positive decision-making. 

After the keynote, students attended two morning workshops, were provided lunch and then attended an interactive afternoon workshop. Professionals from the community volunteered their time to provide information to the students in their respective fields of expertise.

Workshops were provided in the areas of…Communication, Yoga, Nutrition, Careers, Pet Therapy, Zumba, Triple D-Dodgeball (Drug and Alcohol Awareness Game), Conflict Resolution, Dance, Getting Active with GPS, Creating Artist Trading Cards, Assuring a Positive Future and many others.  

Members of the Youth Conference Committee are extremely grateful to the workshop presenters who volunteered their time to educate our area seventh and eighth graders. We are also grateful to the following businesses/organizations that provided discounts or donations for the conference…Genesee County Stop DWI Program, Upstate Milk and Subway.

The Genesee County Youth Conference Committee is comprised of representatives from the following agencies: Batavia Youth Bureau, Genesee County Youth Bureau, Genesee Community College, GCASA and YMCA.  

For more information on this year’s Genesee County Youth Conference or to find out how you can participate in the next event, call the Batavia Youth Bureau at 585-345-6420 or the Genesee County Youth Bureau at 585-344-3960.

Submitted photo: Pictured are the 500 seventh and eighth graders and their school chaperones who attended the 2013 Genesee County Youth Conference held at GCC on March 12, being addressed by Tom Coverly, “The Illusionist,” and Keynote Speaker.

Students from throughout the GLOW region gathered at Genesee Community College this morning for the annual Tech Wars, where students compete in matches of design and engineering skill.

Looming federal budget cuts could mean cuts in one of Batavia City School's most needed programs, Superintendent Chris Dailey told WBTA today.

AIS (Academic Intervention Services) helps students in both math and English as well as special education.

Those are some of the students most in need of help, Dailey said.

The cuts could range from $75,927.40 to $121,283.84 and would be implented if the so-called sequester takes effect after a Friday deadline.

“It’s very scary because New York state still isn’t providing public schools with the level of funding that they did in 2009-10,” Dailey said. “On top of that now, the federal government is pulling out money that they give to schools that have students that are at or below the poverty rate and we are one of the districts that have a high percentage of that. They’re taking money away to help our highest-needs kids in a political game.”

There will be a rally in Geneseo Friday to encourage lawmakers to protect education funding. To reserve a spot on the transportation shuttle or more information on the event, call the district office.

Press release:

An Oakfield-Alabama Middle-High School senior has been named to Business First's 2013 All-Western New York Academic Team.

Jennifer Crossen (First Team) has qualified for this year's list of the 100 most outstanding high school seniors in the eight-county region.

Winners were chosen for their records of academic excellence, school leadership and community involvement. The top 25 were named to the First Team, 25 runners-up to the Second Team, and another 50 to the Special Mention list.

"This is an extremely exclusive award," said Jack Connors, president and publisher of Business First. "There are roughly 20,000 seniors in Western New York's high schools, and we've selected only 100 for this year's Academic Team. That's the upper one-half of 1 percent. They're truly the best and brightest students anywhere in our region."

Schools throughout the eight-county area were asked to nominate their smartest and most accomplished students for consideration by an eight-member committee, which included six admissions directors at area colleges and two Business First editors. A total of 121 schools responded with 437 nominees. (Each school was limited to four candidates.)

The complete list of 100 honorees -- along with their photos and profiles -- will be published in Business First's 2013-2014 Guide to Western New York Schools, which will hit newsstands on June 14.

The BB-gun incident at Batavia Middle School yesterday, as first reported by The Batavian, is apparently getting wider media attention.

A Rochester TV news van was reportedly parked illegally on Ross Street a few minutes ago.

And, just now, Batavia PD released the following statement to all regional media:

The Batavia Police and Batavia School officials are jointly investigating the details of a student bringing a BB Gun into the Batavia Middle School. As part of the investigation it has been determined that at no time was the BB gun displayed or any threats made. School officials discovered the gun based on an unrelated incident. Both the School and the Police Department will use the proper procedures to ensure all are safe and the person responsible is dealt with in accordance with the proper procedure in place for juveniles who violate school rules and New York State laws.  

Parents in the Batavia City School District were informed tonight that a student at Batavia Middle School is being disciplined for bringing a BB gun to school.

It wasn't a rifle, it wasn't a handgun, it was a BB gun a student had a in backpack in his locker, Superintendent Christopher Dailey emphasized in an interview tonight.

"He didn't think it would be anything to worry about," Dailey said. "Unfortunately for him, it was a really bad choice. He didn't have it at school to hurt anyone or defend himself. He wanted to play with it after school. It was a random poor choice by a kid."

The search was initiated, Daily said, because school officials suspected the student may have brought tobacco to school.

The "random poor choice" by the student had landed the kid in Family Court, according to Batavia Police Chief Shawn Heubusch.

Heubusch confirmed tonight that school officials turned over to police a BB gun that was located in a student locker.

"Batavia school officials should be praised for their quick response to this incident," Heubusch said.

Dailey said school officials take issues like this seriously and his automated phone call tonight was aimed at keeping parents informed and designed to quell rumors about it possibly being a more serious matter.

"I felt it important to share because we don't have anything to hide," Dailey said.

In his message, Daily said, "Having a BB gun on school grounds is against district policy. The BB gun was turned over immediately to the Batavia City Police. The student was removed and will be held accountable according to our district code of conduct."

Highlights from the Batavia City School District (BCSD) Board of Education meeting on Jan. 8 include news and updates about the following: 

• Security and Safety Procedures Review
• Focus Update
• Kindergarten Registration Begins Feb. 4
• Curriculum Coordinator Hired
• Budget Ambassadors Appointed
• Richmond Memorial Library Updates Goals
• Financial Summary Report

Security and Safety Procedures Reviewed

Superintendent of Schools Chris Dailey announced that an “Emergency Go Home Early Drill” will be held on Feb. 5 as part of the required State Safety Plan. All students will be released at 1:15 p.m. and off of school grounds by 1:30 p.m.

The BOE Safety Committee Chair Amy Barone reported that the committee met in December with Batavia City Police Chief Shawn Heubusch to review and discuss school safety. In addition to providing the district’s internal safety plan to the police department, the group discussed more police presence on school property (including both an increase in patrolling the grounds as well as having officers come inside buildings during extracurricular activities), police access to school buildings in a lock-down situation, the possibility of funding safety officer positions at schools, an increase in number and type of safety drills, and modifications to existing safety equipment and building design to increase safety functionality.

Election Day, which has been highlighted as a safety concern due to the schools being open to all voters on a day when children are present, was also discussed with proposals ranging from moving the election site off school grounds to scheduling a Superintendent’s Conference Day on voting days so that students would not be in the buildings.

Focus District Update

With two of his training sessions in Albany completed and another coming up in March, Superintendent Dailey reported that the district continues to move forward with meeting state requirements and criteria for the school improvement plan that identifies areas of need as well as programs and activities to help increase student achievement.

As one of the state’s requirements for the evaluation process is to work with non-district educational experts, Dailey noted that the district is fortunate to be working with Steve Uebbing, Ed.D., and Sandra Quinones, Ed.D., from the University of Rochester. They will meet with district administration and staff to help increase understanding of the six tenets of the state’s diagnostic process as well as to facilitate preparation for the state’s visits to the district and the middle school. The visit will take place in June.

In addition, bids are going out to approved vendors for the creation of surveys to solicit feedback from students, staff and parents. Overall, Dailey said, the process in very extensive and the district continues to make progress.

As noted at previous board meetings, the district did not meet New York State’s proficiency benchmarks in the 2010-2011 school year for one subgroup of students. As a result, it has been identified by the NYS Education Department as a Focus District, which is required to choose at least one school on which to focus efforts toward improvement for this subgroup.

Because the middle school has the greatest number of students in the specified subgroup, it was chosen as the Focus School. The district has assembled a school improvement committee to develop and implement a plan that identifies areas of need as well as programs and activities to help increase student achievement.

It’s important to note that the data used for the determination dates back to the 2010-2011 school year and if data from 2011-2012 had been used, the district would have made the target cut points. So while the district is responsible for following an approved Comprehensive Improvement Plan, many of the strategies and plans are already under way and yielding positive results.

Kindergarten Registration Begins Feb. 4

Superintendent Dailey announced that kindergarten registration for the 2013-2014 school year will take place Feb. 4-8 at Jackson Primary School in the multipurpose room.

Children who will be 5 years old on or before Dec. 1, 2013 are eligible to attend kindergarten in the fall. To register, parents are asked to go to Jackson primary on one of the designated school days between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. and bring with them proof of residency such as a current utility bill or formal lease agreement, as well as the child’s birth certificate, Social Security card, and complete record of immunizations. Please note that no child can be registered without the required documentation.

Parents of new first-grade pupils are also asked to register their child in the same time frame and with the same documentation.


Jackson Primary School is located at 411 S. Jackson St. The office phone number is 343-2480, ext. 4000.

Curriculum Coordinator Hired

Superintendent Dailey announced that Curriculum Coordinator Jolene Dettman will begin work on Jan. 18. The position is shared with Pavilion Central School District. She comes from Monroe 2 where she developed expertise in the Common Core and in curriculum development.

Budget Ambassadors Appointed

Sherri Bartz, Rodney Brinkman, Frank DeMare, Jacquie Fowler, Michael Grammatico, Jay Gsell, Jill Halpin, Lynn Heintz, Patti Johnson, Cheryl Kowalik, Jason Molino, Marcia Riley, Durin Rogers, Richard Seymour, and Danielle Torcello applied and were appointed to be Budget Ambassadors for the 2013-2014 district budget proposal.

Ambassadors are residents of the district who volunteer and commit to serve on a committee which meets for two (2) two and a half (2.5) hour evening sessions. Ambassadors review the preliminary budget as developed by the administration (within parameters established by the Board of Education) and recommend to the board any modification(s) they would like to see. Their recommendations, while highly valued, are advisory rather than binding as the board develops the Proposed Budget to be brought to the voters. In addition, ambassadors agree to explain their work to any interested individual in the community.

Richmond Memorial Library Updates Goals

In addition to continuing to build on its previous goals related to space utilization, technology usage, working with the business community, and fiscal responsibility, the Richmond Memorial Library Board has approved goals for 2013-2017. Library Director Diana Wyrwa presented the revised mission statement and outlined the four goals.

The updated mission statement is “Richmond Memorial Library continually provides access to physical and virtual resources and services that meet the educational, informational, and recreational needs of its diverse community in a safe and comfortable environment.”

The four goals are:

1.      Engage diverse populations with specific library programs and services.

2.      Provide multifaceted resources and assistance for all ages to continue learning throughout their lives.

3.      Act as a central source for information about and support of the wide variety of programs, services, and activities available to Batavia residents.

4.      Provide ongoing economic stability for the library.

In addition, Wyrwa announced that, in 2014, the library will celebrate being open for 125 years. Plans are being made now to commemorate that event.

Financial Summary Report

Business Administrator Scott Rozanski reported on the November 2012 revenue and expenses for the district, reviewing them in comparison to the November 2011 figures.  

Overall, the recorded revenues in the year-to-year comparison were fairly consistent, with an increase of $467,000 or slightly less than 2 percent. The most significant increases were recorded in Real Property Tax Levy and in state and federal aid. Real Property Tax Levy, which is counted as revenue when levied rather than when actually received, showed an increase of $355,000. State and federal aid showed an increase of $311,000, largely due to the state making its customary TRS (Teacher Retirement System) payments which the district is obliged to record as income.

Decreases in the “miscellaneous” category of $153,000 were largely due to BOCES refunds for both unused billed expenses as well as an increase in their state aid. In addition, the Non-property Tax Items category (utility tax) was down slightly more than $86,000. The utility tax, as has often been reported, experiences regular fluctuations and has been trending lower than last year.

Expenses were up by approximately $93,000 or slightly less than 1 percent, which was less than expected and primarily due to timing of payments in transportation.

Submitted by Tom Ingalsbe:

Members of the Batavia Teachers' Association pose for a picture at the culmination of their "No Shave November" competition. The competition raised nearly $200 for Anna's Wish and the Kay Dean Memorial Scholarship Fund. For more information on Anna's Wish, please go to http://www.annaswish.org/.

Announcement:

Due to the pending sale of the Administration Building at 39 Washington Ave., the Batavia City School District Administration Offices will be relocated to Batavia High School, 260 State St., starting Friday, Nov. 9.

The offices will all be accessible through the State Street parking lot.

Superintendent/Personnel -- Room 48

Registration/Curriculum -- Room 40

Student Services -- Room 43

Buildings & Grounds -- Room 41

Business -- Room 45

Boardroom -- Room 49

All phone numbers and extensions will remain the same. Any questions, please call 343-2480, ext. 1000.

Yesterday was the official opening of Alexander Elementary School's outdoor classroom. Sixth-graders McKenna Moran and Nick Allen did the honors for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, with some assistance from preschool teacher Ellie Jinks.

Parents, kids and community members braved the autumn morning chill to attend the ceremony celebrating the opening of the very first certified outdoor classroom in Upstate NY.

McKenna and Nick were among the students who helped with this project last year as fifth-graders. They were honored student speakers at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, where each praised the outdoor classroom's merits from a student's perspective.

"(It's great that) instead of just staying inside all day and writing papers," McKenna said, "kids get to be outside doing hands-on things and still learn the same things they would be learning inside."

"I think it's a great addition to our school," Nick said when addressing the crowd. "We don't get to go outside very much. And like McKenna said, instead of just reading about nature in books, we get to go outside (and learn in a hands-on way). I want to thank all the donors (and everyone who helped out)."

Guest speaker Sen. Michael Ranzenhofer called Alexander's outdoor classroom "a shining example of what all of Genesee County, and really the rest of New York State, should do."

He also said that "our kids are in front of too many screens (TV screens, computers, iPods, etc.)," and that projects like this show dedication to "where education should be going -- into the future."

Alexander School Board Vice President Reed Pettys cited studies indicating that:

• Most of today's children spend 90 percent of their time indoors;
• Allergies and asthma have increased as kids have stayed indoors more often;
• Kids who spend more time playing outdoors do better in school and have better motor skills (agility, etc);
• Symptoms of conditions like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are relieved by contact with nature.

"Our hope is that for many years and decades to come," Pettys said, "this outdoor classroom will give relief to many individuals."

More photos after the jump (click on the headline):

Jinks, who has taught in Alexander for 38 years, jumpstarted this project a little over a year ago.

She applied for and won a Pepsi Refresh grant, and with the help of teachers, school administrators, school board members, parents, community members and local businesses -- as well as the Arbor Day Foundation and Dimensions Educational Research Foundation -- she was able to make her dream of an outdoor classroom a reality.

She drew her initial inspiration from something she learned as a student at SUNY Geneseo.

"I learned that unstructured play is good for the health and relationships of both children and adults."

Throughout the process, she was inspired by the generosity and support of the school and wider community via fundraisers, social media and a lot of hard work.

Alexander Central School District Superintendent Kathleen Maerten said she was "most proud of the fact that funding for this project came from grants, local businesses and community generosity. No district funds were used."

Maerten emphasized that there is still work to be done. The Outdoor Classroom Committee would like to eventually install a bike and walking path around the classroom, an amphitheater for performances and a greenhouse.

In addition to these, of course, is the challenge of routine maintenance.

"This is going to require a continued commitment from the school and the community," Maerten said.

More photos:

Kathy Busch, vice principal of the elementary school, contributed to the Fall "mood" by serving apple cider.

Patrick Kelly enjoyed the sandbox while his sisters tiptoed around the edge.

Billy Marchison, meanwhile, was rocking the "Wheeled Toy Area."

Businesses that have supported this project include the following:

Pepsi Corporation

Alexander Equipment

Attica Packaging Co.

Concreations, LLC

Eberhard Landscaping

Johnson's Nursery

Pudgie's Nursery

United Materials

Home Depot Foundation

A-1 Supply Co., LLC

Bernard Schmeider PE, LS

Conservation Connects

Frey Sand and Gravel

Merle Excavating

Springtyme Landscaping

Z & M Ag and Turf

Lowe's Foundation

Attica Hardware

Bonsal American

Dominick and Daughters

Iroquois Job Corps

Palmiter's Nursery

Thomson Rustic Furnishings

Previous coverage:

New classroom will give Alexander students a place to learn in the great outdoors

Alexander Elementary School holds open house for outdoor classroom

Annual External Audit Report Presented

David Mancuso of Freed Maxick, CPAs, PC, presented a summary of their audit of the basic financial statements of the Batavia City School District for the fiscal year that ended June 30, indicating that there were no significant, unusual or controversial transactions or accounting practices.  

   Some specific points from the report and presentation follow. 

• The district currently maintains an A1 credit rating from Moody’s Credit Corporation, which is among the highest in Genesee County. 
• Amid uncertain economic times, the district has been successful in efforts to spend and budget conservatively, as well as to plan for the long-term by setting funds aside in reserve for specific areas of concern: unemployment insurance, retirement contribution, repairs, and employee benefit liability. In an economic climate where the future is likely to see reduced state aid as well as increased expenses, continued economic conservatism is to be encouraged.   
• The district total tax levy has increased only $473,599 or 2.97 percent since 2007-08 or an average yearly increase of $94,720 or averaging 0.59 percent, while at the same time maintaining most of our educational program offerings by restructuring its educational plan and building footprint.  
• The district finished the year with an unexpected general fund surplus of approximately $451,519. This was primarily due to conservative budget estimates in difficult-to-predict categories such as to special education services, foster care tuition, and utilities; being able to cover some budgeted payroll costs with money from grants, delaying purchasing and savings in utilities because of a rather mild winter. The district was able to put this money into the retirement contribution reserve to help with future increases in employer contribution rate increases which are tentatively anticipated to rise over 18 percent for 2013-14 and 13 percent for 2014-15. 
• The unassigned fund balance (formerly referred to as undesignated fund balance) of the district’s general fund was $1,508,767 and this amount was within the state’s limit of 4 percent of the ensuing year’s budget, excluding of the amount designated for the subsequent year’s budget.  

The complete report will be available on the district’s Web site (www.bataviacsd.org): go to the “District” tab for a drop-down menu, scroll down and click on “Business Office,” click on “Financial Reports,” then scroll down to the appropriate report. 

More after the jump, click on the headline.

Jackson Primary School Toured

Jackson Primary School Principal Diane Bonarigo welcomed the board of education members and guests to the school which now houses two universal pre-kindergarten classrooms (each with a morning and afternoon class), 10 kindergarten classes, nine first-grade classes, and one 12:1 class. In addition to providing a tour of the facility, she introduced several initiatives that will begin soon. The first, Science Stars, “starring” first-graders, will run from November to June and will involve various labs and activities that will culminate in a science fair. A second will be an ELA and math night this fall for students and their parents in which teachers will plan and present fun lessons aligned with the Common Core Standards. In January, advanced writers and readers will have an opportunity to publish a piece of their work, ideally one with a national audience.

Annual Professional Performance Review Plan (APPR) Approved

In the final step before submitting it to the NYS Education Department (NYSED), Deputy Superintendent Chris Dailey presented the district’s APPR plan to the board for its approval. In his presentation, he explained the 100-point scoring system that is used to rate teachers and principals as highly effective (91-100 points), effective (75-90 points), developing (65-74 points), or ineffective (0-64 points), noting that “effective” and “highly effective” are the only acceptable target scores. In addition, he explained state and local criteria and measurement tools -- such as student grades on state and/or local assessments, on-site observations by a supervisor, and setting and meeting targeted goals that boost student success -- that are used to determine scores. While the APPR format is new, the process of staff development and of implementing strategies to improve student learning -- the true aim of the APPR plan -- have long been the standard.

The board adopted the plan which now will be sent to the NYS Education Department for approval. While expecting the plan to be approved by the state, Mr. Dailey also reminded the board that this was a one-year plan so the committee will continue to review and adjust it in preparation for next year. The board and superintendent of schools commended Mr. Dailey and the committee for their work in the development of the plan.

The APPR plan, once approved by the state, will be posted on the district Web site.

2013-2014 Budget Calendar and Board’s Budget Guidelines

Business Administrator Scott Rozanski submitted for approval a budget calendar to be followed for the preparation and presentation of the 2012-2013 spending plan for the district, leading up to the vote in May. Some important dates to note include the following:

·                Deadline for turning in Budget Ambassador applications: Jan. 3

·                Budget Ambassador meetings: Feb. 13 and 20

·                Board of Education petitions due: April 24

·                Voter Registration Day: April 24

·                Proposed Budget available for public view: May 6

·                Presentation of Proposed Budget/Propositions: May 14, 7 p.m., Batavia High

·                Budget, Board of Education, and Propositions (if any) vote: May 21, 7 a.m. through 9 p.m. at Batavia High and John Kennedy Intermediate schools.

He also presented suggested guidelines requiring board input and approval, based on parameters that the board has set in the past for the development of the preliminary budget. Those guidelines, as approved by the board, include:

• Meet all applicable mandates, and health, safety, and legal requirements;
• Fulfill all contractual obligations;
• Support educational programs and services vital to successful implementation of the district mission and vision;
• Identify alternative funding sources;
• Prepare the first draft of the 2013-14 budget with a tax levy increase over the 2012-13 budget of no more than the Consumer Price Index, or the calculated tax levy cap.

Student Count and Consolidation; Superintendent Report

Superintendent of Schools Margaret Puzio reported that the annual count of students which provides a snapshot of student enrollment -- the Basic Educational Data System (BEDS) -- held no big surprises. The district has 23 more students than at this time last year, most of which are in the ninth grade and, to a slightly lesser degree, the fifth grade.

In continuing to check in on the consolidation process, Mrs. Puzio visited the fifth-grade wing at the middle school during one of the enrichment periods held twice a week. Noting that “it was even better than expected,” she cited the students’ enthusiasm and engagement in their activities, which included groups involved in keyboarding, math games, an art project, and a creative thinking activity. Staying through dismissal, she was pleased to report that it all went very smoothly.