John Marucci would have loved to have had a 0 percent tax increase, falling in line with the district’s last two years, but student needs prevailed, he says.

“Unfortunately, we just couldn’t get there,” he said this past weekend in response to The Batavian’s questions to the board. “I’m very happy that (Superintendent Jason Smith and Business Administrator Scott Rozanski) were able to get us to 1 percent. The BCSD BOE and administration have saved Batavia city property owners $25 to $30 million over the past seven to 10 years.”

Those savings, according to Rozanski, were calculated based on small or no tax rate increases over the last decade. 

Marucci and fellow board members Barbara Bowman and Jennifer Lendvay were not able to respond to questions before the weekend, they said, and those answers are being provided here. 

Additional teaching positions are federally funded with stimulus funds, Marucci said, and will “help to address the students with a learning loss due to Covid over the past couple of years.” This budget was not easy, he said. 

“And a lot of hours were put in by all to get it to where we are now,” he said. “I think it’s a good budget for the students and taxpayers.”

That “learning loss” is at the top of the other two board members’ concerns as well. Transitioning out of a pandemic has meant discovering how hybrid and remote learning affected students during the last two years, Lendvay said.

“A vast number of our students in the elementary and intermediate level are receiving assistance in literacy, math and reading,” she said. “We are fortunate to be able to utilize federal funds to focus directly on this issue. While the kids are back in the swing of ‘normal’ school again, it was important to maintain the programs that the students want to take advantage of.”

Those programs include extracurricular activities, athletics, arts, drama, music, Advanced Placement and ACE and academic, special education and counseling support services, she said. All of these offerings are being maintained within the current budget she said. 

Bowman spoke not only a board member but as a counselor “who oftentimes works with marginalized people within our district.” Intervention and literacy are important pieces of addressing student losses in learning, she said, and she is very supportive of using federal Covid relief funds “to help all our students catch up and move forward.”

“I worked hard at this process and was grateful to reduce overall tax increase to 1%, keeping it under the state tax cap,” Bowman said. 

Lendvay emphasized that the budget decision was not made lightly.

“We understand the financial challenges the community and taxpayers are facing during this time and worked diligently to get our figure well below the 1.62% tax cap,” she said. “Looking at the past 10 years we have been able to adjust to a 0% tax cap half of the time; unfortunately with the rising cost in utilities and health insurance, we did not see that as an obtainable figure for this budget.”

“It is important to understand that while this is education, it is still a business, and sometimes businesses are forced to make tough financial decisions,” she said. “This is the decision of the BOE and again, I stand behind it completely.” 

To recap the board’s vote at this month’s recent meeting, it was to approve the $54,802,593 budget for 2022-23. That was an increase of $2,705,932 from the current budget or a 5.194 percent increase. That includes a tax levy of $19,688,898, which is an increase of $1.94 million, or a 1 percent property tax increase. The board unanimously approved/adopted the budget. It will go up for a public vote by district residents on May 17.

 The levy put the district under the tax cap of 1.62 percent by $120,776, Superintendent Jason Smith said. Expenses reflect the signs of inflation and increased utility and medical insurance costs, he said.

Up to four new positions are “100 percent federally funded” through stimulus funds, he said, and two other positions have been added due to increased enrollment. Those stimulus funds are designated to specifically address the learning loss of students as a result of the reduced time in school from 2020 through 2021, he said.  

“The District is currently engaged in a formal study to determine future staffing needs based on enrollment trends,” Smith said. “While our students were on a hybrid program last year, we are still in the process of addressing learning loss and making sure our students are on pace with essential math and literacy skills.  We appreciate the additional federal funds that have allowed us to provide additional and needed support for our students.”

There was an additional $2.08 million in state aid for this next year’s budget, however, overall revenues are flat, he said. The appropriated fund balance received a one-time boost of $520,800 from the stimulus funds.

City schools board members and administration staff worked on the budget for the past several months, which has resulted in this proposed $54.8 million budget, “that we are pleased to present to our community for review,” he said. 

“This budget closely aligns to our mission, vision, and core beliefs of the Batavia City School District and preserves all existing programs while recognizing the ongoing financial challenges,” he said. “In addition, we are using our federal funds (COVID relief) to address learning loss in our students, focusing on intervention and literacy at the elementary grade level.”

He listed several program components that will remain “firmly in place,” including: 

● All extracurricular activities and athletics
● Advanced Placement and dual GCC enrollment courses
● Music, arts, and drama
● Counseling services
● Academic supports
● Special Education services
● School safety, including our School Resource Officer
● Gifted and Talented programs (ACE)

“The Board of Education and I fully embrace our important roles as financial stewards, along with the importance of balancing an exceptional and well-rounded educational program with the needed support from our community,” he said. “This budget is a community partnership, with the tax levy under our allowable cap, as it has been for the past several years.”  

In other school news, Tim Batzel, Alexander Central School’s business administrator, also addressed the issue of “learning loss” due to the remote, off-campus learning that students faced during the last two years of a pandemic. 

“The goal is to continue addressing learning loss, and the social and emotional impacts caused by pandemic to all students,” Batzel said in response to The Batavian's questions.

Alexander’s proposed 2022-23 budget is $19,404,099, which is a 1.18 percent increase from the current budget. This includes a 0 percent tax levy increase, which falls below the 2.26 percent tax cap. The district’s revenues increased by 3.98 percent and there are no additional or eliminated positions in the budget, he said. 

All school budget votes are on May 17. 

2022 File photos of Jennifer Lendvay, top, and Superintendent Jason Smith during a Batavia City Schools Board of Education meeting. Photos by Howard Owens.

Le Roy Little League opened its 70th season on Saturday.

Board President Jeremy Warner said Le Roy is the last league in GLOW still affiliated with Little League based in Williamsport, Pa.

Photos by Ed Henry.

Vehicle is reportedly on its roof in a ditch in the area 4036 Hunn Road, Alexander.

unknown injuries.

Alexander Fire and Mercy EMS responding.

Oakfield Fire responded to a report of a basement fire at 12 Coe Avenue at 9:36 p.m., Saturday,

One occupant of the house was trapped in the basement area and extricated by responding fire crews, which included the City of Batavia's Fast Team. The occupant was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital by Mercy EMS for smoke inhalation. Her condition is unknown at this time.

There were several pets in the residence. Two cats died due to the fire.

The cause of the fires is under investigation. The investigation is being conducted by the Sheriff's Office and emergency management. Assisting is Oakfield Fire Alabama Fire Elba Fire and City Fire. 

Photos by Alicia Kaus/Video New Service

A two-vehicle accident is reported at 8334 East Main Road, Le Roy

Unknown injuries. Traffic is blocked.

Le Roy fire and Le Roy Ambulance dispatch.

The Bethany Fire Department hosted the annual Fire Department day this Saturday. Some of the members, shown here, arrived early to prepare food and get out the trucks.

Jessica arrived with her family to try out a career path, or just to have fun seeing what the fire department is all about. EMT Vicki Wolak explains what the ambulance does and how they help people.

The Fire Department and Ambulance crew are always looking for volunteers. Monday evenings are always a good time to see what jobs are available and how you might be able to help your town.

Photos and information submitted by Glenn Adams, Bethany Fire Department.

Northgate Free Methodist Church held a Kids Color Run today in Batavia.

Photos by Allison Lang.

Notre Dame beat Oakfield-Alabama in high school baseball at Dwyer Stadium today, 8-4.

The winning pitcher was Ryan Fitzpatrick, who worked all seven innings giving up five hits and one earned run while striking out 11.

For the Irish, Colin McCulley, Gavin Schrader, and Fitzpatrick all had two hits each and Fitzpatrick knocked in three runs while scoring twice.

For the Hornets, Bodie Hyde and Gaige Armbrewster each had two hits.  Hyde drove in four runs. He was also the starting pitcher and took the loss.

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here,

Troop Leader Melissa Sciortino holds a trash bag while Girl Scouts Lana, left, and Kennedy, gather garbage dropped on the ground by people at DeWitt Recreation Area in Batavia.

Also helping from Troop 60870 in Spencerport was Isabella.

The girls were earning badges for environment, hiking and wilderness.

The clean-up was part of the Genesee County Parks Department celebration of Earth Day at DeWitt.

Robert and Sara Mackenzie were among the volunteers today helping to clean up Oakfield for the community's 13th annual Earth Day observance. The Mackenzies were picking up trash on Drake Street Road.

Heidi Young, with the Genesee County Soil and Water Conservation District, loads a pair of trees into the truck of Joe Reif, of Clarence, as part of the department's tree and shrub program for 2022.

Area residents were able to pre-order a variety of trees and shrubs for spring planting from Soil and Water and pick them up today at the Agri-Culture Center on East Main Street Road, Batavia.

This year there were 41 tree and shrub options for sale and 15 different multi-stem packages. Items ranged from evergreens, hardwoods, fruit trees, and flowering shrubs, to perennial flowers and ferns. Items that were not offered in a while have reappeared in the catalog this year, including white cedar transplants, yellow birch, pin cherry, and white flowering dogwood.

Photos by Howard Owens

Little League opening day in Le Roy commenced with a parade for players and coaches down Main Street.

We'll have more coverage of opening day later.

Photos by Howard Owens.

2022 File photo of Batavia City Schools Board President Alice Benedict. Photo by Howard Owens

After Thursday’s Batavia City Schools board meeting and budget vote, The Batavian emailed each board member for comment about the budget itself and/or the process, plus any additional comments anyone wanted to make.

Most board members have been quiet during public budget talks, including regular meetings in March and April and a budget workshop in March. Due to the enormous depth of a $54.8 million budget, The Batavian attempted to obtain remarks about it and any particular aspects of interest that the financial plan entailed. 

Board President Alice Benedict — who has been a reliable source for comments throughout these last few months of budget talks — said the board “has had several open discussions about the BCSD budget, including our budget workshop that was streamed on YouTube.” The Batavian viewed the YouTube video of the budget workshop for a second time to make sure that some board discussion wasn’t missed the first time. Benedict was the only consistent speaker throughout the nearly two-hour session, and in subsequent board meeting talks about the budget. 

Benedict was the only board member to respond to The Batavian’s email.

Board members are elected by district residents. The trustees who didn't respond to The Batavian's request for comment are John Marucci, Jennifer Lendvay, Barbara Bowman, Michelle Hume and Chezeray Rolle.

The city schools board “is acutely aware of our responsibility to the community,” Benedict said, “and we know the economic times could not warrant a large increase in school taxes.” The group asked Superintendent Jason Smith and Business Administrator Scott Rozanski to whittle the initial 2022-23 budget and 5.5 percent increase down to meet the tax cap of 1.62 percent. 

A unanimous vote Thursday adopted the proposed $54.8 million budget and 1 percent tax levy increase. Some posters on a social media site said the increase didn’t include recently raised assessments throughout the city, so “what’s the real increase?” they asked. 

The Batavian used a property assessed at $100,000 as an example, and that would mean a property tax increase of $19 from the prior year. However, if that home has just been assessed at $30,000 more than last year, that homeowner will see an increase of $601.60 in property taxes. ($100,000 at $19.23 per $1,000 compared to $130,000 at $19.42 per $1,000 assessed value.)

“We had previously had Budget Ambassadors, but the community, in the last few years, has not wanted to participate in the budget process. So we changed the process,” Benedict said. “It was successful this year, but the Board is more than willing to extend an invitation to the community to participate if that’s their interest.

“Five out of the last 10 years, the BCSD had no increase in the tax levy, but giving an exceptional and well-rounded education costs money, so we felt, at this time it was appropriate to ask for a slight increase,” she said.

A budget hearing has been set for 6 p.m. May 5 at Batavia High School, 260 State St., to be followed by a district vote on May 17. 

Author Barbara Knight held a reading of her new book “Lily’s Healing Journey” at GO Art! this evening.

The book is the story of a little girl who is happy and loves to sing, until something “yucky” happens in her life. She learns over the course of the story she realizes how deep her hurts are and finds a way to bring hope, healing and happiness back into her life.

Knight said she hopes that the book will touch hurting hearts and bring hope and healing. 

Press release:

National Infant Immunization Week is April 24-30, 2022. This is an annual observance highlighting the importance of protecting children two years and younger from vaccine-preventable diseases. In the spirit of National Infant Immunization Week, we encourage parents and caregivers to take time to learn about vaccines.  

“Childhood vaccinations are one of the best ways to protect infants and children from vaccine-preventable diseases before the age of two,” stated Paul Pettit, Public Health Director for Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments (GO Health). Vaccinations not only play a key role in protecting our children from 14 vaccine-preventable diseases such as polio, mumps and the measles, they also protect our community. They are the most successful and cost-effective public health tool available for preventing and reducing the spread of infectious diseases as well as preventing death.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, some infants and children have missed or delayed routinely recommended vaccinations. “Children who may have missed or skipped vaccinations may be at an increased risk of diseases like whooping cough (pertussis) and the measles, which can be serious,” stated Pettit. “That is why it is important to stay on track with well-child visits and the recommended vaccination schedule. Please check with your healthcare provider to make sure your children are up to date on their routine vaccinations.”

To learn more about vaccinations and to view the latest immunization schedule visit www.cdc.gov/vaccines or speak with your healthcare provider.

For more information on GO Health’s Immunization Clinics, visit GOHealthNY.org. You can also contact your respective health department:

• Genesee County- 585-344-2580 x5555 or Health@co.genesee.ny.us
• Orleans County- 585-589-3278 or OCPublicHealth@orleanscountyny.gov

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R, C, I-Batavia) is encouraging eligible small business owners that have incomplete applications or have not yet submitted the necessary documentation to receive COVID-19 Pandemic Small Business Recovery Grant Program funding to apply before the application period for the program draws to a close on April 30. 

While Empire State Development has distributed over $550 million in funds to small businesses throughout the state since the program’s inception, much of the program’s $800 million in funds remain available to eligible small business owners who have either not started or completed their applications. Small business owners can use the following link to complete unfinished applications or view the eligibility requirements they would need to meet to begin an application: https://nysmallbusinessrecovery.com

“With all our small businesses have endured through these last few years, it would be saddening to see business owners who truly need and deserve this support go without it,” said Hawley. “I’d encourage everyone who even thinks there’s a chance they’d be eligible for this funding to look into it. They may be surprised by the assistance available to them.”

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R, C, I-Batavia) is supporting the passage of a bill that would allow New York schools to purchase whole and 2% milk that’s produced within the state, modeled after similar legislation that was recently passed in Pennsylvania. 

While the regulation banning these types of milk was put in place to combat rising trends of childhood obesity rates and type 2 diabetes diagnoses, these trends have only continued following its enactment. Countering the narrative that whole and 2% milk is unhealthy for children, recent studies have shown children who drink full-fat dairy products tend to be leaner than their peers and have a lower risk of becoming overweight. Other studies have found those who consume whole-fat dairy may have a lower risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes, lower blood pressure, increased satiety without weight gain and better sleep.

The removal of these milk options has also had a negative effect on dairy farms throughout upstate New York, which have long counted on revenue from milk sales to schools to keep their businesses operational. Already facing numerous obstacles in maintaining their viability as a business in recent years, including the lowering of the farm laborer overtime threshold, Hawley is hopeful this bill’s passage will help dairy farmers survive these new challenges to their livelihoods.

“The removal of 2% and whole milk from school cafeterias has had nothing but negative impacts on all stakeholders involved, including children and farmers,” said Hawley. “Providing more dairy options to students will only encourage them to get the nutrition their growing bodies need from milk, and help farmers recoup revenue lost since the passage of this ill-conceived prohibition.”

PUBLIC NOTICE: 

NOTICE TO RESIDENTS A Public Hearing to present information on the revised District Code of Conduct and District Safety Plan will be held on Tuesday, May 24, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. in Memorial Auditorium. The District Safety Plan is open for public comment from April 19, 2022, to May 18, 2022. Public comments may be made in the District Office or by attending the Public Hearing.